Factors associated with the use of protective measures against vector-borne diseases among troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan

Vector-borne diseases are known threats to deployed troops. We performed a cross-sectional study of troops deployed to Southwest Asia between January 2005 and February 2007 to evaluate practices of personal protective measures and their relationship to self-report of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Military medicine 2008-11, Vol.173 (11), p.1060-1067
Main Authors: Vickery, John P, Tribble, David R, Putnam, Shannon D, McGraw, Timothy, Sanders, John W, Armstrong, Adam W, Riddle, Mark S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Afghanistan
Animals
Armed forces
Biomarkers
Cross-Sectional Studies
DEET - therapeutic use
Disease prevention
Disease Vectors
Female
Health Behavior
Health Surveys
Humans
Insect Bites and Stings
Insect Repellents - therapeutic use
Insecticides - therapeutic use
Iraq
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Logistic Models
Male
Military deployment
Military personnel
Multivariate Analysis
Parasitic diseases
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Permethrin - therapeutic use
Polls & surveys
Prevalence
Protozoa
Regression analysis
Response rates
Risk-Taking
Safety
Tropical diseases
Uniforms
United States
Variables
Vectors (Biology)
West Nile virus
Young Adult
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Summary:Vector-borne diseases are known threats to deployed troops. We performed a cross-sectional study of troops deployed to Southwest Asia between January 2005 and February 2007 to evaluate practices of personal protective measures and their relationship to self-report of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a marker of vector-borne disease threat. Regular or always N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) use was low (2-5%). Associations for DEET use were command emphasis, branch of service, uniform treatment with permethrin, and duty station. Uniform treatment with permethrin was associated with branch of service, command emphasis, and use of DEET. We identified 22 cases of CL (incidence density of 1.8-3.7 per 100 person-years) with increased risk among Reserve/National Guard components, Air Force and Marine personnel. Commanders can influence the use of the military insect repellent system. Unit-based treatment of uniforms improves prevalence. CL incidence may be higher than previously reported.
ISSN:0026-4075
1930-613X
DOI:10.7205/MILMED.173.11.1060