Active Surveillance for Acute Respiratory Disease Detected No Outbreaks at Four U.S. Army Basic Training Installations in 2022.

Abstract

Abstract: A total of 254 febrile acute respiratory disease (ARD) cases were identified among Army basic trainees in 2022. No Army basic training installations met the definition for an ARD or Group A Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus outbreak in 2022. The inclusion of afebrile ARD data in the surveillance program identified an additional 1,696 cases in which a trainee met the criteria for a case of ARD, except for an oral temperature of 100.5°F or higher. While including afebrile cases in the ARD rate calculation did result in an overall increase in weekly ARD rates, no basic training installations met the MEDCOM definition for an ARD outbreak. The continued surveillance and implementation of interventions such as chemoprophylaxis, vaccination, and non-pharmacologic interventions (e.g. hand-washing, head-to-toe sleeping bunk arrangement, etc.) helped identify and potentially prevent ARD outbreaks.

What are the new findings?: In 2022, no ARD outbreaks were identified at any U.S. Army basic training installations, according to the U.S. Army's Medical Com-mand (MEDCOM) definition. This marks the third consecutive year without an ARD outbreak at these installations. Vaccination, chemoprophylaxis, and active disease surveillance are cornerstones of the Army's program to protect the health and readiness of basic trainees, utilizing support from the Defense Health Agency's Defense Centers for Public Health.

What is the impact on readiness and force health protection?: U.S. Army basic training provides an ideal environment for the development of respiratory disease outbreaks because of sustained high stress combined with close trainee living and training quarters. Disease outbreaks degrade force readiness by increasing training time or potentially reducing numbers of trainees who graduate. The data from 2020 through 2022 demonstrate that no ARD outbreaks occurred in this population.