AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Disease Non-battle injuries have a significant impact on: - ✔✔Combat power and
effectiveness
✔✔Arthropods - ✔✔Invertebrate animals with exoskeletons such as ticks, spiders,
mites, crustaceans and other insects
✔✔Vector - ✔✔An arthropod that transports a pathogen from one host to another. Also
known as a carrier.
✔✔Venom - ✔✔A poisonous substances secreted by animals and typically injected into
prey or aggressors by biting or stinging
✔✔Envenomation - ✔✔The introduction of venom into a body by means of the bite or
sting of a venomous animal
✔✔Passive Transmission - ✔✔Also referred to as mechanical transmission. The
arthropod carries the pathogen from one host to another.
The pathogen does nothing during the transfer except go along for the ride.
Example: a fly lands on some food and deposits the pathogen clinging to its legs.
✔✔Active Transmission - ✔✔Also known as biological transmission. The pathogen
changes in number or form while being carried by the vector.
There are 4 ways a pathogen can be passed to humans via active/biological
transmission:
Inoculation
Regurgitation
Fecal contamination
Crushing
✔✔Inoculation - ✔✔Occurs when a vector injects a pathogen into the host with its saliva
while it feeds on the host
✔✔Regurgitation - ✔✔Occurs when the vector vomits the pathogen into the host while it
feeds on the host
✔✔Fecal contamination - ✔✔Occurs when the vector defecates into a wound on the
host. The feces deposited in the wound cause irritation and itching.
,Scratching at the wound facilitates pathogen entry into the host body.
✔✔Crushing - ✔✔Occurs when a vector is smashed into the skin of a host. When the
host attempts to remove the dead bug by brushing it off with their hand, the pathogen is
rubbed into the skin.
✔✔The most important arthropod that affects the military - ✔✔Mosquitos
✔✔Malaria - ✔✔Causes:
- Transmitted by the anopheles mosquitos. Mosquitos feed on the blood of an infected
person and transmit the disease to a heathy person during subsequent feeding. Must
always be considered in soldiers presenting with unexplained febrile illness if they are
deployed to or spent time in a location when malaria is present. A complication of
malaria is Blackwater Fever which is an acute and potentially fatal state which includes
kidney failure (mortality is 20-30%).
S/S:
- Fever w/alternating chills
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Sweats
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- The time between bite and symptoms is 7-30 days
Management:
- Chemoprophylaxis (prevention)
- Avoid mosquito bites (prevention)
- Medications as prescribed'(will depend on the type)
- Chloroquine is a standard antimalarial medication
- Supportive care
- Refer to MO
✔✔Dengue Fever - ✔✔Causes:
- Aedes mosquitos transmit this disease. Slang name is "breakbone fever" because of
the severe joint pain that the infected suffer. Significant to the military because of its
explosive nature resulting in a high amount of casualties in a short time.
S/S:
Fever of 104 degrees plus two of the following
- Severe headache
- N/V
- Pain in the muscles and joints
- Severe pain behind eyes (retrobulbar pain)
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Cough
, - Sore throat
- Rashes/bleeding from mouth/nose
Management:
- There is no specific therapy
- Treatment is supportive
- Vaccines are in development/not commonly used
- Refer to MO
✔✔Yellow Fever - ✔✔Causes:
- A potentially fatal viral disease that is transmitted by Aedes mosquitos. Mostly occurs
in urban or jungle environments in Africa or Central/South America. It affects the liver,
kidney, and heart. Gets its name from the resulting jaundice as it attacks the liver
S/S:
- Fever
- Headache
- Body Aches
- N/V
- Fatigue
Management:
- Immunizations prior to deployment (prevention)
- Mosquito netting (prevention)
✔✔Encephalitis - ✔✔Causes:
- Carried by both Aedes and Culex mosquitos. Can include West Nile Virus (WNV), St.
Louis Encephalitis, Japanese B Encephalitis, and California Encephalitis. WNV is
spread when mosquitos bite birds and infect them with the virus. The birds become ill
and then the virus is spread to new mosquitos when they bite the bird. It then spreads to
other species and humans. Mortality is high among elderly individuals
S/S:
- Most people do not have symptoms
- Fever
- Headache
- Body aches.
- Neck stiffness
- Coma
- Seizures
- Paralysis
Management:
- Supportive treatment
- Vaccines are currently under development