Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions and Military Hygiene at the United States Military Academy between 1890 and 1910.

INTRODUCTION: Military installations are at increased risk for the transmission of infectious disease. Personnel who live and train on military installations live and train near one another facilitating disease transmission. An understanding of historical sanitation and hygiene can inform modern practices. This is especially pertinent considering the continuing rise of variants of infectious diseases, such as the recent pandemic of the 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. In this article, we review the rise and decline of infectious disease at the United States Military Academy (USMA) during the period spanning 1890 through 1910, and the public health interventions used to combat disease spread. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary data regarding cadet illness were acquired from the historical archives of the USMA. These included annual reports, clinical admission records, casualty ledgers, and sanitation reports. Unpublished documents from the medical history of USMA provide periodic trends of health among cadets because of infectious disease. RESULTS: Between 1890 and 1910, the USMA at West Point was confronted with cases of influenza, measles, mumps, scarlet fever, smallpox, typhus, and malaria. In response, a series of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were instituted to curb the spread of infectious disease. These interventions most likely proved effective in suppressing the transmission of communicable diseases. The most common and arguably the most effective NPI was the physical separation of the sick from the well. CONCLUSIONS: The USMA experience mirrored what was occurring in the larger U.S. Army in the early 20th century and may serve as a model for the application of NPIs in response to modern infectious diseases resulting from novel or unknown etiologies.

[Hygienic aspects of development and testing of individual military armour].

Hygienic aspects of development and testing of individual military armour. The article is devoted to scientific substantiation of proposals aimed at improving certain physical and hygienic properties of the personal body armour (PBA) and their test methods. The authors performed an analysis of the development of domestic and foreign PBA production. Analysed and described construction, ergonomic and medical-and-technical characteristics of PBA. The role of the study of hygienic, mechanical and ergonomic indicators in assessing the dynamics of the vector and the further development of PBA is presented. Substantiated proposals for their improvement.

[Improvement of dermatovenereologic care in the Armed Forces].

Authors presented data about primary incidence of diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation over the past 6 years and gave information about basic peculiarities of the delivery of medical dermatovenereologic care to servicemen in peacetime. A list of dermatovenereologic diseases, which have to be treated by the medical service at the troop level. Main factors affecting the level of skin and venereal diseases among servicemen are revealed. Authors' considered typical errors occurring in the process of medical care delivery to patients suffering from dermatovenereologic diseases at the troop level. These errors are usually of organizational and methodical nature.

[Sanitary state of the ships of the Baltic fleet and development of the navy hygiene in the 18th century].

Sanitary and hygienic state of the Baltic navy ships in the 18th century was considered as unsatisfactory due to inappropriate habitation conditions answering hygienic requirements. The reason for the low ship habitation of that time was limited technological possibilities of the sail shipbuilding, lack of appropriate labour, and life and rest conditions for navy servicemen. In fact, wooden ships were not suitable for life activity of the navy crew, but contributed to disease increase. Because of the rapid development of the' navy hygiene and improvement of shipbuilding technologies, sanitary and hygienic state of local navy ships had became improving. With a glance on recommendations, developed by physicians D.P.Sinopeus and A.G.Bakherakht, were made following improvements: were implemented ventilators on ships, daily fumigation of ships rooms, monitoring of personal hygiene.

[Epidemiological peculiarities of acute respiratory diseases and its prophylaxis in Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs].

Acute respiratory diseases is the current problem of the medical service and command of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In recent years on the background of increase of contract servicemen the total rate of these infections decreased. However, rate of acute respiratory diseases in conscripts remains high and has a tendency to increase. Due to restricted possibilities of immunization in case of acute respiratory diseases it is necessary to improve the non-specific prophylaxis. The guaranty of sanitary-and-epidemiological safety may be active participation of military-and-professional society in realization of lifesaving measures and safety of military service.

[Status and development prospects of radiological health in the Navy].

More than 7.5 thousands of people work as military and civilian personnel and have an access to a lot of sources of ionizing radiation on ships and vessels, at coastal units and institutions of the Navy. This fact determines the importance of radiation safety and medical preventive measures on naval fleets. The article analyses the state of radiation-hygienic measures, outlines the conceptual basis for the development of radiation hygiene in the Navy. Substantiated reconstruction tasks effectiveness of health control and state sanitary and epidemiological supervision of radiation safety, provides information about the optimal set of instruments for radiation monitoring equipment radiobiological laboratories and centres of state sanitary and epidemiological supervision at various levels.

[Development of food supply quality assurance system for armed forces].

To study a serviceman's satisfaction with how nutrition was organized, the author elaborated a questionnaire containing the sections "nutrition organization quality assessment" and "mess food intake condition quality assessment". Different categories of military men taking food were inquired in a mess. The affirmation "I have no after-meal heartburn" became evidence that the sample was heterogeneous. For detailed analysis, the total sample was divided into two subgroups: those who had (Subgroup 1) and had not (Subgroup 2) a burning sensation after eating. Subgroup II servicemen gave lower scores on the questions about the comfort of food intake, the quality of dishes, a general attitude towards nutrition organization in the mess than did Subgroup I. The study has verified that the developed subsistence quality assurance system is of importance. The questionnaire has provided a valid assessment of the quality of the services given by the mess and revealed a reason for low scores.

[Radiative and hygienic certification in Armed Forces, problems of its implementation and ways of perfection].

Radiative and hygienic passportization is one of the most actual pattern of socio and hygienic monitoring in Armed Forces. Radiative and hygienic passport is the main document which characterizes the safety control in military unit and uses the sources of ionizing radiation. Sanitary and epidemiologic institutions were imputed to control the formation of radiative and hygienic passports, analysis and generalization of its data, formation of conclusions about the condition of radiation security in the military units. According to radiative and hygienic passportization, which took place in 2009, the radiation security in the Armed Forces and organizations is satisfactory, but there are some problems of providing of radiation security of personnel under the professional and medical radiation. The salvation of its problems requires the effective work of official functionary of radiac object and institutions of state sanitary and epidemiological supervision in Armed Forces of Russian Federation.

[Organizational-epidemiological aspects of prophylaxis of community-acquired pneumonias in Moscow military district].

The article presents broad information, which is the result of longstanding observation (2002-2006) There are also presented adequate financial data. The article unfolds peculiarities of multiyear and annual dynamics of morbidity rate by out-hospital pneumonias in Moscow military circuit, educes and proves the basic risk factors of disease, shows its value. The accent is made on military and study units. Recommendations on lowering morbidity rate by out-hospital pneumonias, existing in the article, are based on the own experience of the authors, their effectiveness is proved by real positive results.

Pursuing cleanliness in a field surgical environment.

Perioperative military nurses often are faced with the challenge of providing a clean surgical milieu in environments that are decidedly hostile to cleanliness. The combination of temperature extremes, blowing sand, dirt, mud, infection vectors, and the nature of battlefield wounds thwart the best intentions of maintaining cleanliness. Mitigating these problems requires setting priorities, teamwork, a rigorous daily regimen of cleaning, and a willingness to make improvements as opportunities become available.

Changes in B-readings over time in the United States Navy Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program.

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of variability among B-readers on clinical occupational medicine. METHODS: A total of 419,770 B-reading reports from February 1980 to May 2004 in the US Navy Asbestos Medical Surveillance Program were analyzed for changes in category from the previous B-reading on each individual worker. RESULTS: Over 7% of films were categorized as worse (ie, read as going from negative to positive), and over 6% were categorized as better. When profusion categories were reported as different from the previous reading (over 6% of the time), they were more frequently read as 2 or more minor categories worse or better. CONCLUSIONS: Changes from previous B-readings are common, and may have clinical and other implications, which are discussed. B-readings should not be used as the sole basis for determining the presence or absence of pneumoconiosis.

[Hygienic aspects in the prophylaxis of diseases caused by cold factor]. / O gigienicheskikh aspektakh profilaktiki zabolevanii, sviazannykh s vozdeistviem kholodovogo faktora.

Basing on the statistical materials the authors show the priority of prophylactic measures to prevent the incidence of chill and cold in the personnel. To improve the state sanitary-and-epidemiological supervision and medical control in this area it is reasonable to supplement the methodical arsenal of medical service with detailed analysis of circumstances and causes of diseases associated with cold factor effect. Emphasizing the necessity of servicemen' systematic hygienic education concerning the collective and individual preventive measures to avoid supercooling the authors give the appropriate recommendations.

[The prophylaxis of nonhospital pneumonia using 23-valent pneumococcus vaccine in the military collectives]. / Profilaktika vnebol'nichnoi pnevmonii v voinskikh kollektivakh 23-valentnoi pnevmokokkovoi vaktsinoi.

Basing on the results obtained during the study of risk factor effect and extra-hospital pneumonia (EHP) etiology in servicemen in order to prevent this nosologic form the complex of prophylactic and antiepidemic measures was developed. The effective measure of EHP pneumonia prophylaxis in military collectives proved to be the polysaccharide 23-valent pneumococcus vaccine "Pneumo-23". After immunization of about 14 000 servicemen on the average EHP incidence has 3 times decreased with vaccine efficiency coefficient up to 74.23%. The more considerable decrease in EHP incidence was observed during the combined use of pneumococcus and influenzal vaccines: the efficiency was 78.5%.

[The use of the universal theory of hygienic standards in military hygiene]. / Primenenie universal'noi teorii gigienicheskogo normirovaniia v voennoi gigiene.

On the basis of an abound practice of hygiene standardization, the authors have elaborated a system of fundamental tenets and premises that correspond to the requirements of a universal theory. It includes norms and standards for a living organisms and the environment. The hygiene standardization foundation is based on the principles of guarantee, social-biological balance, complex and dynamics. The tenets stated in the article confirm interrelation and character of the hygiene standards theory formulation and its prognostic function.