Strategies to Protect the Health of Deployed U.S. Forces Medical Surveillance, Record Keeping, and Risk Reduction (1999) / Chapter Skim
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2 Risks To Deployed Forces
2 Risks To Deployed Forces
Pages 21-30
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From page 21... ...
This report has addressed these traditional concerns of military medicine in a very limited fashion and focused on improved medical surveillance to better assess and respond to traditional and emerging threats, record keeping to permit appropriate care and retrospective analysis, and the complex issue of medically unexplained symptoms in returning service members.
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From page 22... ...
At least in the most recent declared war, the Gulf War, the strategies used to reduce risks from infectious disease and severe climate proved successful. In contrast to previous experiences, infectious diseases were not a major cause of lost personnel, even though many infectious diseases that pose serious health threats are endemic to the region of deployment (Hyams et al., 1995~.
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From page 23... ...
. In the Gulf War, 55 of the 65 non-battle-related deaths resulted from accidental injuries, including two helicopter crashes and an accident involving a light armored vehicle (Helmkamp, 1994~.
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From page 24... ...
In Southwest Asia Operations, they have contributed roughly 1 percent of overall DNBI cases since 1996 (Thompson, 1999~. Commanders have the most critical role in prevention of heat injuries through enforcement of physical fitness requirements, heat acclimation procedures, work and rest schedules, the appropriate use of clothing and equipment, and adherence to proper nutrition (U.S.
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From page 25... ...
Commanding officers of every Army unit were responsible for making sure that the soldiers wore dry socks, changed their shoes or boots regularly, rubbed their feet with animal fat at least once a day, and exercised their feet to provide proper circulation (Whayne and DeBakey, 1958~. As with heat-related injuries, aggressive leadership will continue to be required for prevention of cold-related injuries in cold climates.
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From page 26... ...
These group or relationship phenomena explained marked differences in the psychiatric casualty rates of various units who were exposed to a similar intensity of battle stress. The frequency of psychiatric disorders seems to be more related to the characteristics of the group than to the character traits of the involved individuals.
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From page 27... ...
People diagnosed with PTSD are characterized by symptoms of increased arousal, sudden reliving of a traumatic event through recurrent and intrusive recollections or dreams, and avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma (American Psychiatric Association, 1994~. The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS)
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From page 28... ...
(several studies have been critiqued and summarized by Haley t19974~. A telephone survey of a large population-based sample of Gulf War veterans found that 1.9 percent reported symptoms of PTSD, whereas 0.8 percent of the military population deployed elsewhere during the same time reported symptoms of PTSD (Iowa Persian Gulf Study Group, 1997~.
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From page 29... ...
address the overall threat and risk assessment and the capability of the military to detect the agents used in chemical weapons and to protect military personnel using avoidance, protective masks, and clothing. Potential exposure to chemical weapons will have medical consequences that must be recognized and managed even if protective measures are used appropriately and minimal or no acute casualties result.
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From page 30... ...
Immunization of all military personnel with the currently licensed anthrax vaccine has greatly reduced the threat of anthrax which has widely been regarded as the most effective and imminent biologic threat. PROTECTIVE MEDICATIONS Some of the potential risks to deployed forces include the protective medications themselves.
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