title: Advantages and limits of real-time epidemiological surveillance during military deployments: the experience of the French Armed Forces.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Ecole du Val de Grâce, 1 place Alphonse Laveran, 75230 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Meynard
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chaudet
authors.forename: Gaetan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Texier
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dupuy
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Queyriaux
authors.forename: Liliane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pellegrin
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Deparis
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Migliani
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Boutin
mesh_terms: 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*