Advantages and limits of real-time epidemiological surveillance during military deployments: the experience of the French Armed Forces.
To perform epidemiological surveillance during deployments, the French military health service has developed a real-time surveillance approach. The objective was to identify the benefits and problems of this approach. A prototype of real-time surveillance has been set up in French Guiana since 2004. Its permanent evaluation has allowed identifying strengths and weaknesses. The experience has permitted expansion of the concept to French forces in Djibouti and also development of a global approach for the whole French armed forces. Real-time surveillance has shown its usefulness for early warning during different real and simulated situations. Functional and architectural choices have permitted interoperability with allied nations. However, the information produced was only the first step of the diagnostic epidemiological situation followed by other investigations. This first step of development has highlighted the required complementarity with traditional epidemiological surveillance.
Meynard
Jean-baptiste
JB
Ecole du Val de Grâce, 1 place Alphonse Laveran, 75230 Paris, France.
Chaudet
Hervé
H
Texier
Gaetan
G
Dupuy
Bruce
B
Queyriaux
Benjamin
B
Pellegrin
Liliane
L
Deparis
Xavier
X
Migliani
René
R
Spiegel
André
A
Boutin
Jean-Paul
JP
D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005616:French Guiana; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*