title: Incidence of acute respiratory illnesses among enlisted service members during their first year of military service: did the 2011 resumption of adenovirus vaccination of basic trainees have an effect?
abstract: This study analyzed the incidence of acute respiratory illnesses (i.e., upper respiratory illnesses, bronchitis and bronchiolitis, and pneumonias) during the first 12 months of service among enlisted members of the active components of the U.S. Armed Forces. Subjects were assigned to cohorts designated 1999 through 2012 corresponding to the years during which they entered service. The objective was to determine if the late 2011 resumption of administration of adenovirus vaccines to basic trainees was associated with a reduction in acute respiratory illnesses among the 2012 cohort. Because acute respiratory illness rates were considerably higher during the first three months than the rest of the first year of service, rates during the first three months and the next nine months of service were compared separately among the cohorts. In the 2012 compared to the prior year cohorts, incidence rates of hospitalizations for pneumonia and of outpatient diagnoses of the other two acute respiratory illness types of interest were lower during the first three months but not the next nine months of enlisted service. The findings suggest a protective effect of adenovirus vaccines during recruit training. Reasons for cautious interpretation of the results are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D062705:Adenovirus Vaccines; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D062705:Adenovirus Vaccines