Mental health diagnoses and attrition in Air Force recruits.

INTRODUCTION: Mental disorders effect military readiness. Evaluating the frequency and impact of mental health diagnoses (MHD) in recruits, the source of the military workforce, is key to identifying opportunities for screening and prevention. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the relationship between MHD in the Air Force recruit population and time to discharge. METHODS: A recruit cohort at Lackland Air Force Base was followed through Basic Military Training, technical school, and 14 months of service using data from Trainee Health Online Reporting System. Incidence rate of MHD was calculated. A risk ratio and attributable fraction were calculated for attrition comparing recruits with MHD to recruits receiving other diagnoses (non-MHD). A survival analysis was performed on recruits with MHD compared to those with non-MHD. RESULTS: Incidence of MHD was 7.9%. A recruit with a MHD was 4.28 (95% CI = 4.04-4.54) times more likely to separate in the first 14 months of service as compared to a recruit with a non-MHD. CONCLUSIONS: Recruits with MHD were separated faster and more often when compared to non-MHD. This study increases visibility of mental health disorders in recruits as a step toward better identifying those at higher risk of attrition.

Spread of adenovirus to geographically dispersed military installations, May-October 2007.

In mid-May 2007, a respiratory disease outbreak associated with adenovirus, serotype B14 (Ad14), was recognized at a large military basic training facility in Texas. The affected population was highly mobile; after the 6-week basic training course, trainees immediately dispersed to advanced training sites worldwide. Accordingly, enhanced surveillance and control efforts were instituted at sites receiving the most trainees. Specimens from patients with pneumonia or febrile respiratory illness were tested for respiratory pathogens by using cultures and reverse transcription-PCR. During May through October 2007, a total of 959 specimens were collected from 21 sites; 43.1% were adenovirus positive; the Ad14 serotype accounted for 95.3% of adenovirus isolates. Ad14 was identified at 8 sites in California, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, and South Korea. Ad14 spread readily to secondary sites after the initial outbreak. Military and civilian planners must consider how best to control the spread of infectious respiratory diseases in highly mobile populations traveling between diverse geographic locations.

DNA vaccine for West Nile virus infection in fish crows (Corvus ossifragus).

A DNA vaccine for West Nile virus (WNV) was evaluated to determine whether its use could protect fish crows (Corvus ossifragus) from fatal WNV infection. Captured adult crows were given 0.5 mg of the DNA vaccine either orally or by intramuscular (IM) inoculation; control crows were inoculated or orally exposed to a placebo. After 6 weeks, crows were challenged subcutaneously with 105 plaque-forming units of WNV (New York 1999 strain). None of the placebo inoculated-placebo challenged birds died. While none of the 9 IM vaccine-inoculated birds died, 5 of 10 placebo-inoculated and 4 of 8 orally vaccinated birds died within 15 days after challenge. Peak viremia titers in birds with fatal WNV infection were substantially higher than those in birds that survived infection. Although oral administration of a single DNA vaccine dose failed to elicit an immune response or protect crows from WNV infection, IM administration of a single dose prevented death and was associated with reduced viremia.