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IMPACT OF ILLNESS AND NON-COMBAT INJURY DURING OPERATIONS IRAQI FREEDOM AND ENDURING FREEDOM (AFGHANISTAN)

Historically, non-combat injuries and illnesses have had a significant impact on military missions. We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence and impact of common ailments among U.S. military personnel deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan during 2003–2004. Among 15,459 persons surveyed, diarrhea (76.8% in Iraq and 54.4% in Afghanistan), respiratory illness (69.1%), non-combat injuries (34.7%), and leishmaniasis (2.1%) were commonly reported. For all causes, 25.2% reported that they required intravenous fluids, 10.4% required hospitalization, and 5.2% required medical evacuation. Among ground units, 12.7% reported that they missed a patrol because of illness, and among air units, 11.7% were grounded because of illness. The incidence of diarrhea and respiratory infections doubled from the pre-combat to combat phases, and the perceived adverse impact of these illnesses on the unit increased significantly during the combat phase. Despite technologic advances in warfare and preventive medicine, illness and non-combat injuries have been common during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, resulting in frequent transient decreases in operational efficiency.

Received April 28, 2005. Accepted for publication May 25, 2005.

Acknowledgments: We thank HMCS Pedrito Villanueva, HM1 Bridgett Ruiz, Roberta Strangfeld-Russel, Erin Leonard, and Jamie Bland for their assistance in collecting these surveys. We also thank Manal Moustafa, Yasmine Farid, Noha Effat, Hanan Raafat, and Mohamed Fakhry for their work on data entry and analysis.

Disclaimer: The opinions and assertions herein should not be construed as official or representing the views of the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. This is a U.S. Government work. There are no restrictions on its use.

^* Address correspondence to John W. Sanders, Enteric Disease Research Program, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt, PSC 452, Box 117, FPO AE 09835. E-mail: sandersj{at}namru3.med.navy.mil

Authors’ addresses: John W. Sanders, Carla Frankart, Robert W. Frenck, Marshall R. Monteville, Mark S. Riddle, David M. Rock-abrand, and Trueman W. Sharp, U. S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3., Cairo, Egypt, PSC 452, Box 117, FPO AE 09835, E-mails: sandersj{at}namru3.med.navy.mil, carlafrankart{at}hotmaol.com, rfrenck{at}uclacvr.labiomed.org, montevillem{at}namru3.med.navy.mil, riddlem{at}namru3.med.navy.mil, rockabrandd{at}namru3,ned.navy.mil, and sharpt{at}namru3.ned.navy.mil. Shannon D. Putnam, Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2, Jakarta, Indonesia, E-mail: shan8{at}hotmail.com. David R. Tribble, Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, E-mail: tribbled{at}nmrc.navy.mil.

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