Open AccessTuberculosis Screening and Control in the US Military in War and Peace
Author(s) -
James D. Mancuso
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2016.303502
Subject(s) - tuberculosis , military personnel , environmental health , epidemiology , military service , population , medicine , military medicine , armed conflict , demography , political science , law , pathology , sociology
Tuberculosis (TB) has a well-established association with military populations, but the association of increased TB risk during armed conflict is less certain. This historical review focuses on the evolution of screening practices, the changing epidemiology of TB, and the risk of TB among US military service members during armed conflict from 1885 to the present. Overall, deployed soldiers were not at increased risk for TB compared with nondeployed soldiers in any of these conflicts, and the risk of TB in the US military largely reflected that of the underlying US population. Nevertheless, there are focal risk groups with higher rates of TB in the military, including prisoners of war. Although the principles of TB control in the military conform to those used in the civilian population, unique military exposures during both times of peace and of armed conflict require additional screening, surveillance, and control measures.