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Health Readiness

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight is the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) for all medically related Department of Defense policies, programs, and activities. The office is responsible for deployment medicine, force health protection, medical readiness, international health agreements, deployment related health policy, theater information systems, humanitarian and health missions, and national disaster support.

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Percentages of each Service’s cold weather injuries, 2016 – 2017 cold season

Infographic
1/18/2018
Did you know when all cold weather injuries were considered, not just the numbers of individuals affected, frostbite was the most common type of cold weather injury, comprising 53% (n=177) of all cold weather injuries among active component service members in 2016 – 2017? • In the Air Force and Army respectively, 60.9% and 58.9% of all cold weather injuries were frostbite, whereas the proportions in the Marine Corps (42.9%) and Navy (25.0%) were much lower. • For the Navy, the 2016-2017 number and rate of frostbite injuries in active component service members were the lowest of the past 5 years. • The number of immersion injury cases in 2016 – 2017 in the Marine Corps was the lowest of the 5-year surveillance period. Bar graph: Percentages of each Service’s cold weather injuries that were frostbite, 2016 – 2017 cold season • Air Force (60.9%) • Army (58.9%) • Marine Corps (42.9%) • Navy (25.0%) For all active component service members during the 2016 – 2017, the proportions of non-frostbite cold weather injuries were as follows: • 19.5% hypothermia • 17.7% immersion injuries • 9.9% Other & unspecified cold weather injuries Access the full report in the October 2017 MSMR (Vol. 24, No. 10). Go to: www.Health.mil/MSMR #ColdReadiness

This infographic documents the percentages of each service’s cold weather injuries, U.S. Armed Forces for the 2016 – 2017 cold season.

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Winter Safety | Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch | Health Readiness

Cold weather injuries by military location, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2012 – June 2017

Infographic
1/18/2018
From July 2016 through June 2017, a total of 24 military locations had at least 30 incident cold weather injuries (one per person, per year) among active and reserve component service members. The locations with the highest 5-year counts of incident injuries were: • Fort Wainwright, AK (175) • Bavaria (Grafenwoehr/Vilseck), Germany (110) • Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island/ Beaufort, SC (102) • Fort Benning, GA (99) • Fort Carson, CO (88) • Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA (86) • Fort Bragg, NC (78) Map displays the information above. 2016 – 2017 cold season During the 2016 – 2017 cold season, the numbers of incident cases of cold weather injuries were higher than the counts for the previous 2015-2016 cold season at seven of the 24 locations. The most noteworthy increase was found at the Army’s Fort Wainwright, where there were 48 total cases diagnosed in 2016 – 2017 , compared to just 16 during the 2015 – 2016 cold season. Bar chart shows annual number of cold weather injuries (cold season 2016 – 2017) and median number of cold weather injuries (cold seasons 2012 – 2016) at military locations with at least 30 cold weather injuries during the surveillance period, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2012 – June 2017. Access the full report in the October 2017 MSMR (Vol. 24, No. 10). Go to: www.Health.mil/MSMR Image in background includes service members out in the snow.

This infographic documents cold weather injuries by military location among U.S. Armed Forces for the July 2012 – June 2017 cold seasons.

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Winter Safety | Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch | Health Readiness

Incidence rates of cold weather injuries: Non-Hispanic black service members, five cold weather seasons, July 2012 – June 2017

Infographic
1/18/2018
Did you know for all of the services, overall rates of cold weather injuries were higher among non-Hispanic black service members than among those of other race/ethnicity groups? • Rates of cold weather injuries among non-Hispanic black service members were two-times as high as those among non-Hispanic white or other race/ethnicity groups. • The rates of frostbite among non-Hispanic black service members were three-times those of the other race/ethnicity groups. Access the full report in the October 2017 MSMR (Vol. 24, No. 10). Go to www.Health.mil/MSMR #ColdReadiness Image of non-Hispanic black service member in the snow displays.

This infographic documents incidence rates of cold weather injuries among non-Hispanic black service members during the July 2012 – June 2017 cold weather seasons.

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Winter Safety | Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch | Health Readiness

Cold and influenza season is underway – and it’s nothing to ‘shake off’

Article
1/12/2018
Cold and flu season usually runs from October to March, and peaks between December and February. Young children, adults 65 years and older, pregnant women, and people with chronic medical conditions have a higher risk for complications. Military Health System experts encourage everyone to take steps to prevent these viral illnesses from spreading. (U.S. Army photo by photo by Rachel Larue)

Military Health System experts share advice on how to prevent, treat, and distinguish between these two viral illnesses

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Health Readiness | Preventive Health | Immunizations | Children's Health

Joint efforts in search of a cure for tropical diseases

Article
1/11/2018
Dr. Gissella Vasquez, deputy director of the Entomology Department at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6, inspects a vector trap at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. The Joint Task Force-Bravo Medical Element, NAMRU- 6 and the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences partnered for an ongoing tropical disease study, testing live samples and collecting vectors that could be potential carriers for diseases. (U.S. Army photo by Maria Pinel)

Malaria. Dengue. Zika.

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Guarding the health of service members

Article
1/9/2018
James Coker focuses on protecting service member health every day as deputy chief of the Public Health Division at the Defense Health Agency. Here he is exploring a Mount Denali glacier “off the clock” while stationed in Alaska as a public health flight commander at Elmendorf Air Force Base. (Courtesy photo)

The vital role of the Public Health Division

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Global Influenza Summary: January 7, 2018

Report
1/7/2018

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Deployed Airman provides critical care anywhere

Article
1/5/2018
Air Force Capt. Asha Wyatt, 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron aeromedical evacuation operations officer and flight nurse, poses for a photo at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Dec. 28, 2017. Wyatt is deployed from Pope Army Airfield, N.C., and has been in the Air Force for six years. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Divine Cox

When injured airmen need to be transported, the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron’s airmen provide patients with lifesaving emergency and prehospital care

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Maintenance key to medical device precision, accuracy

Article
1/4/2018
A technician assigned to the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency's Medical Maintenance Operations Division-Tracy works on a piece of equipment in the depot's special purpose test, measurement and diagnostics equipment lab. (U.S. Army photo by Ellen Crown)

It's not about the item we touch, it's about the patient that uses it

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Health Readiness

MSMR Vol. 25 No. 1 - January 2018

Report
1/1/2018

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Review of the U.S. military's human immunodeficiency virus program: a legacy of progress and a future of promise; Update: Routine screening for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus, civilian applicants ...

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MSMR Vol. 25 No. 6 - June 2018

Report
1/1/2018

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Malaria, U.S. Armed Forces, 2017; Surveillance for vector-borne diseases among active and reserve component service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2010–2016; Diagnostic evaluation of military blood donors ...

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Health Readiness | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 25 No. 5 - May 2018

Report
1/1/2018

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Malaria, U.S. Armed Forces, 2017; Surveillance for vector-borne diseases among active and reserve component service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2010–2016; Diagnostic evaluation of military blood donors ...

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Health Readiness | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 25 No. 7 - July 2018

Report
1/1/2018

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Malaria, U.S. Armed Forces, 2017; Surveillance for vector-borne diseases among active and reserve component service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2010–2016; Diagnostic evaluation of military blood donors ...

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Health Readiness | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 25 No. 3 - March 2018

Report
1/1/2018

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Malaria, U.S. Armed Forces, 2017; Surveillance for vector-borne diseases among active and reserve component service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2010–2016; Diagnostic evaluation of military blood donors ...

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Health Readiness | Public Health

MSMR Vol. 25 No. 8 - August 2018

Report
1/1/2018

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Contributions from the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) network; Brief report: Pre- and post-deployment prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus colonization among U.S. Navy submariners; Surveillance ...

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Health Readiness | Public Health
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