Operational impact of health problems observed during a four-month military deployment in Ivory Coast.
Diseases always have a significant impact during military deployments. We evaluated the operational impact of health problems observed in a French infantry battalion (n = 690) during a 4-month assignment in Ivory Coast. In all, 55.7% of soldiers consulted at least once and sought care for 608 health problems. A total operational incapacity was observed in 22.2% of cases (7.6/1,000 person-days). The 5 diseases causing the greatest operational incapacity were diarrhea (2.1 days lost/1,000 person-days), musculoskeletal diseases and injuries (53.7 days), malaria (29 days), dental diseases (30.9 days), and fevers of undetermined origin (7 days). The incidence of diarrhea and skin infections was higher in rank-and-file troops than among noncommissioned officers. It was also higher during the mission's first month, when individual susceptibility to infections is suspected to be highest. Some diseases that are not serious nonetheless have a significant operational impact and should be better studied to determine preventive measures.
Department of Operational Environments, Army Biomedical Research Institute, Bretigny sur Orge, France.
Fabien
F
Sauvet
Christian
C
Lebeau
Stéphane
S
Foucher
Olivier
O
Flusain
Jean Claude
JC
Jouanin
Jean-Marc
JM
Debonne
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008887:Military Medicine; D008889:Military Personnel; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric