COVID-19: An Army Brigade Approach to Tracking, Management, and Treatment of Soldiers, US Army 18th Military Police Brigade.

As SARS-CoV-2 spread throughout the world military units had to develop ways of combatting risk to ensure force health protection and deployability of their soldiers. Medical functions were impacted and solutions needed to be found in order to incorporate these items as functioning medical platforms. In the following article, we address one unit's individual response to the difficulties faced as a Military Police Brigade in Europe. Lessons learned from the initial wave of COVID-19 across medical operations, medical readiness, virtual health, and behavioral health initiatives can be utilized for better planning and response in the future.

Case report: Tick-borne encephalitis virus infection in beneficiaries of the U.S. military healthcare system in southern Germany.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a flavivirus usually transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected Ixodes ricinus tick. The disease is endemic to central Europe, including Germany where it is a potential threat to U.S. service members and other beneficiaries. This report describes 3 cases of TBE in persons living during 2017 and 2018 in the region of Germany with the highest incidence of TBE: a 36-year-old active duty service member and 2 non-service member beneficiaries aged 17 and 7 years. Each patient presented with debilitating symptoms and, following recovery from their acute illnesses, experienced troubling sequelae for months afterward. The nature of their initial illnesses varied from one another, as did the length and nature of their sequelae. The criteria for diagnosing TBE based upon clinical symptoms and laboratory test results are described. Preventive strategies for protecting residents in Germany from TBE include measures to avoid tick bites. The potential for use of the TBE virus vaccine, not Food and Drug Administration- approved in the U.S. but available in Europe, is discussed.

Painful, swollen, oozing right great toe.

We initially suspected septic arthritis or osteomyelitis in this patient. Further investigation proved it was neither.

A case of taeniasis diagnosed postpartum.

A case of postpartum taeniasis will be discussed along with the pathophysiology, proper treatment, potential risks, and prevention of taeniasis infections to the pregnant mother, her infant, and her family members. Taenia spp. infections are relatively rare in developed societies. Increasing immigration to developed countries and an expanding role of medical aid in developing countries will lead to an increase in the number of taeniasis cases seen by medical providers. Taenia solium and T. saginata are the most common species and can be differentiated by proglottids (a segment of a tapeworm containing both male and female reproductive organs) or scolex (the head of a tapeworm which attaches to the intestine of the definitive host). Both carry different risks when considering autoinfection and transmission. Cystercercosis caused by T. solium is a risk for neonates and is cause for immediate treatment of the mother. A 23-year-old new mother, originally from Ethiopia, passed T. strobili shortly after giving birth. Her pregnancy was complicated by limited prenatal care. She did not experience any symptoms related to tapeworm infection. The patient received treatment with praziquantel. With a possible future increase in the number of cases seen by health care providers, understanding the risks of Taenia sp. infection is important as proper treatment and education are needed to halt the life cycle of the tapeworm before more serious infection ensues.

Erythematous penile lesion.

Previous efforts to diagnose the cause of this patient's rash had been unsuccessful. A biopsy confirmed our suspicions.