Global Influenza Surveillance in the U.S. Military
Abstract
The 1918 influenza pandemic serves as a poignant reminder of how devastating influenza can be. Its ability to generate enormous numbers of casualties, probable travel restrictions, and effects on civilian support infrastructure poses a serious threat to military operations. More recently, in 1996, a United States ship of the line was taken out of service and forced into a foreign port for 2 days while waiting for enough crew members to recover before resuming normal operations. In light of this threat, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) maintains a globe-girdling influenza surveillance system, seeking to identify antigenic shifts and drifts at the earliest possible moment. Frighteningly, the threat is not limited to influenza. Emerging infectious diseases such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and, possibly, biological warfare agents loom ahead. The early stages of many of these infections resemble influenza and are often categorized as influenza-like illnesses (ILI). Given these threats, there has been a concerted effort to adapt existing surveillance systems to provide near-real-time surveillance that could identify covert attacks involving biological agents or the emergence of new respiratory pathogens as well as improve the DoD's capabilities to monitor naturally occurring influenza.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA433574
Entities
People
- Kenneth L. Cox