Epidemiological Isolation as an Infection Mortality Risk Factor in U.S. Soldiers from Late Nineteenth to Early Twentieth Centuries | Zendy

G. Dennis Shanks | Zendy

Open Access

Epidemiological Isolation as an Infection Mortality Risk Factor in U.S. Soldiers from Late Nineteenth to Early Twentieth Centuries

Author(s) -

G. Dennis Shanks

Publication year - 2019

Publication title -

american journal of tropical medicine and hygiene

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 1.015

H-Index - 151

eISSN - 1476-1645

pISSN - 0002-9637

DOI - 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0501

Subject(s) - epidemiology , measles , risk factor , isolation (microbiology) , medicine , disease , pandemic , demography , mortality rate , infectious disease (medical specialty) , environmental health , immunology , vaccination , covid-19 , biology , sociology , microbiology and biotechnology

It remains uncertain why most infectious disease mortalities disappeared before modern medical interventions. Historical epidemiology using prospectively collected U.S. Army data from the Civil War (1860-1861), Spanish-American War (1898-1899), and First World War (1917-1918) suggests that epidemiological isolation was a major mortality risk factor for soldiers. Morbidity and mortality due to common infections decreased progressively from 1860 to 1918, except for influenza during the 1918 pandemic. Adult measles or mumps infections are indicative of isolated rural populations and correlated with disease mortality by U.S. state. Experiencing infections before adulthood may equip the immune system to better resist infections and decrease mortality rates.

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