Epidemiological Indicators of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and Vaccination Effectiveness on the Report of Positive Cases in the Colombian Army

The description of the epidemiological indicators of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), such as the mortality rate (MR), the case fatality rate (CFR), and the attack rate (AR), as well as the geographical distribution and daily case reports, are used to evaluate the impact that this virus has had within the Colombian Army and its health system. As military forces around the world represent the force that defends sovereignty, independence, the integrity of the national territory, and the constitutional order, while maintaining migration controls in blocked border areas during this critical pandemic times, they must carry out strict epidemiological surveillance to control the situation among the servicemen. Up to date, the Colombian Army has faced a very high attack rate (AR = 8.55%) due, among others, to living conditions where active military personnel share bedrooms, bathrooms, and dining facilities, which facilitate the spread of the virus. However, being a mainly young and healthy population, the MR was 1.82 deaths/1,000 ha, while the CFR = 2.13% indexes consistently low if compared with those values reported for the national population. In addition, the effectiveness of vaccination is shown in daily cases of COVID-19, where, for the third peak, the active military population presented a decrease of positive patients compared to the dynamics of national transmission and the total population of the military forces (active, retired, and beneficiaries).

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Changes in Income Distribution in Brazil

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190499983.013.24 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Rodolfo Hoffmann

Keyword(s):

Income Inequality ◽

Household Income ◽

Gini Index ◽

Military Coup ◽

Transfer Programs ◽

Per Capita ◽

The Government ◽

The Military ◽

The Impact ◽

Very High

Income inequality in Brazil, already high, increased after the military coup of 1964 and remained very high even after democratization in the 1980s. It decreased substantially in the period 2001–2014, after inflation was controlled. The Gini index of the per capita household income dropped from 0.594 in 2001 to 0.513 in 2014. The determinants of this decline in inequality are analyzed considering the components of that income and how each one affected changes in inequality, showing the impact of changes in the remuneration of private sector employees and in pensions paid by the government, as well as federal transfer programs. Changes in education lie behind the first of these effects, and the increase of the minimum wage reinforced all three. The economic crises after 2014 interrupted the process of decline, and among economically active persons, inequality even increased from 2014 to 2015. Measures to further reduce inequality are suggested.

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The Convergence of Military Conduct and Policing in Israeli-Controlled Territories

Israeli Studies Review ◽

10.3167/isr.2020.350202 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Nir Gazit ◽

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Police Officer ◽

The United States ◽

Police Brutality ◽

Media Attention ◽

Military Forces ◽

The Us ◽

The Military ◽

The Impact

The murder of George Floyd by a police officer in the United States in May 2020 and the subsequent turmoil, as well as the violence against migrants on the US-Mexican border, have drawn major public and media attention to the phenomenon of police brutality (see, e.g., Levin 2020; Misra 2018; Taub 2020), which is often labeled as ‘militarization of police’. At the same time, in recent years military forces have been increasingly involved in policing missions in civilian environments, both domestically (see, e.g., Kanno-Youngs 2020; Schrader 2020; Shinkman 2020) and abroad. The convergence of military conduct and policing raises intriguing questions regarding the impact of these tendencies on the military and the police, as well as on their legitimacy.

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Local Boy, East Coast Sensibilities

Beyond Ethnicity ◽

10.21313/hawaii/9780824869885.003.0009 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Joseph Lopa

Keyword(s):

Hip Hop ◽

East Coast ◽

Historical Trauma ◽

The United States ◽

Military Population ◽

Mentorship Program ◽

Transient Nature ◽

Black Art ◽

The Military ◽

The Impact

This chapter was written from the perspective of a Hawaii resident who identifies as Black and local. My upbringing is explored including the cultural forces that shaped me and the impact that the portion of my upbringing on the East Coast has had on rounding out my Black worldview. This chapter also address challenges to the growth of the Hawaii based African American community including a lack of education about the pre and post-missionary presence of Blacks in Hawaii, the geographic isolation, the transient nature of the State’s largest portion of the Blacks: Service Members in the United States the Military. The struggle of local Black folks to connect to the Black Military population secondary to isolation fostered by base housing and the impact of the Military’s role in historical trauma related to the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy. Solutions to the issue of Black community cohesion are explored throughout the remainder of the chapter. They include a Cultural Mentorship program for Hawai‘i’s Black Youth, connections to Black art and popular culture and it’s adaption in Hawaii (with a particular focus on reggae and Hip-Hop as the key conduits for identifying and facilitating Black Cultural impact in Hawaii).

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Autonomous Systems in a Military Context (Part 2)

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-8365-3.ch019 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 433-451

Author(s):

Jai Galliott ◽

Tim McFarland

Keyword(s):

Autonomous Systems ◽

Just War Theory ◽

International Human Rights Law ◽

Military Forces ◽

Legal Obligations ◽

Law Of Armed Conflict ◽

Collateral Effects ◽

The Law ◽

The Military ◽

The Impact

This is the second paper of two on the role of autonomy in the unmanned systems revolution currently underway and affecting military forces around the globe. In the last paper, the authors considered the implications of autonomy on the legal obligations of military forces and their ability to meet these obligations, primarily through a survey of the domestic law of a number of drone wielding nations and relevant international legal regimes, including the law of armed conflict, arms control law, international human rights law, and others. However, the impact of autonomy in the military context extends well beyond the law and also encompasses philosophy and morality. Therefore, this paper addresses perennial problems concerning autonomous systems and their impact on what justifies the initial resort to war, who may be legitimately targeted in warfare, the collateral effects of military weaponry and the methods of determining and dealing with violations of the laws of just war theory.

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Myopericarditis: recognition and impact in the military population

Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps ◽

10.1136/jramc-2018-001056 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 165 (6) ◽

pp. 451-453

Author(s):

Jessica R Bailey ◽

A Loftus ◽

R J C Allan

Keyword(s):

Chest Pain ◽

Sudden Onset ◽

British Army ◽

Military Population ◽

Operational Capability ◽

Army Officer ◽

Viral Illness ◽

The Military ◽

The Impact

We present a case of a fit and well British Army officer with sudden-onset chest pain following a viral illness, on a background of arduous skiing over an 8-week period. This resulted in a 6-month downgrade with no clearly defined plan for return to full fitness and deployability. The diagnosis and differentiation of myopericarditis from other causes of chest pain is reviewed. The treatment and management of myopericarditis is summarised and commentary is made on the paucity of evidence underpinning the return to fitness guidelines. The impact of this condition primarily affecting young fit individuals, commonly exacerbated by viral illness and arduous activity, is discussed in the context of individual employability and operational capability in a military setting.

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The potential risk of enzootic Trypanosoma cruzi transmission inside four training and re-training military battalions (BITER) in Colombia

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-021-05018-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Omar Cantillo-Barraza ◽

Jeffer Torres ◽

Carolina Hernández ◽

Yanira Romero ◽

Sara Zuluaga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽

Chagas Disease ◽

Military Personnel ◽

Potential Risk ◽

Epidemiological Surveillance ◽

12S Rrna ◽

Military Population ◽

Endemic Areas ◽

The Military ◽

Feeding Sources

Abstract Background Colombia’s National Army is one of the largest military institutions in the country based on the number of serving members and its presence throughout the country. There have been reports of cases of acute or chronic cases of Chagas disease among active military personnel. These may be the result of military-associated activities performed in jungles and other endemic areas or the consequence of exposure to Trypanosoma cruzi inside military establishments/facilities located in endemic areas. The aim of the present study was to describe the circulation of T. cruzi inside facilities housing four training and re-training battalions [Battalions of Instruction, Training en Re-training (BITERs)] located in municipalities with historical reports of triatomine bugs and Chagas disease cases. An entomological and faunal survey of domestic and sylvatic environments was conducted inside each of these military facilities. Methods Infection in working and stray dogs present in each BITER location was determined using serological and molecular tools, and T. cruzi in mammal and triatomine bug samples was determined by PCR assay. The PCR products of the vertebrate 12S rRNA gene were also obtained and subjected to Sanger sequencing to identify blood-feeding sources. Finally, we performed a geospatial analysis to evaluate the coexistence of infected triatomines and mammals with the military personal inside of each BITER installation. Results In total, 86 specimens were collected: 82 Rhodnius pallescens, two Rhodnius prolixus, one Triatoma dimidiata and one Triatoma maculata. The overall T. cruzi infection rate for R. pallescens and R. prolixus was 56.1 and 100% respectively, while T. dimidiata and T. maculata were not infected. Eight feeding sources were found for the infected triatomines, with opossum and humans being the most frequent sources of feeding (85.7%). Infection was most common in the common opossum Didelphis marsupialis, with infection levels of 77.7%. Sylvatic TcI was the most frequent genotype, found in 80% of triatomines and 75% of D. marsupialis. Of the samples collected from dogs (n = 52), five (9.6%; 95% confidence interval: 3.20–21.03) were seropositive based on two independent tests. Four of these dogs were creole and one was a working dog. The spatial analysis revealed a sympatry between infected vectors and mammals with the military population. Conclusions We have shown a potential risk of spillover of sylvatic T. cruzi transmission to humans by oral and vectorial transmission in two BITER installations in Colombia. The results indicate that installations where 100,000 active military personnel carry out training activities should be prioritized for epidemiological surveillance of Chagas disease. Graphical abstract

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Norovirus gastroenteritis outbreaks in military units: a systematic review

BMJ Military Health ◽

10.1136/bmjmilitary-2019-001341 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. jramc-2019-001341

Author(s):

Luis Queiros-Reis ◽

A Lopes-João ◽

J R Mesquita ◽

C Penha-Gonçalves ◽

M S J Nascimento

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Armed Forces ◽

Operational Effectiveness ◽

Military Forces ◽

Norovirus Gastroenteritis ◽

Life Threatening ◽

The Military ◽

The Impact ◽

Military Units

IntroductionNorovirus gastroenteritis is one of the most frequent causes of personnel unavailability in military units, being associated with significant morbidity and degradation of their operational effectiveness. The disease is usually mild but can be severe and life-threatening in young and healthy soldiers, who are prone to dehydration due to intensive daily activity. Despite its impact, the full extent of the norovirus gastroenteritis burden in military forces remains unclear. This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact and ascertain clinical and epidemiological features of norovirus outbreaks that have occurred in the military forces.MethodsThe systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and used three databases: PubMed, Scopus, and LILACs. Papers published up to 1 September 2019 were included without restrictions if they reported one or more outbreaks in the military forces on active duty, either on national territories or deployed overseas.ResultsA total of 343 papers were retrieved from the literature search. After inclusion/exclusion criteria a total of 39 eligible papers were considered. From 1988 (first reported outbreak in the military) to 2018 more than 101 norovirus outbreaks have been reported in the military, accounting for at least 24 332 cases. Secondary transmission was emphasised as the main route of norovirus transmission in the military forces, with eating outside the military setting an important route for the primary cases.ConclusionsThe present review highlights that norovirus gastroenteritis has been a burden to military troops both in combat and on peacekeeping operations. Norovirus disease has been shown to exact a substantial toll on mission readiness and operational effectiveness. It is noteworthy that the impact of norovirus outbreaks among military units is underestimated because the literature review retrieved information from the armed forces from only nine countries.

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Autonomous Systems in a Military Context (Part 2)

International Journal of Robotics Applications and Technologies ◽

10.4018/ijrat.2016070104 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 53-68

Author(s):

Jai Galliott ◽

Tim McFarland

Keyword(s):

Autonomous Systems ◽

Just War Theory ◽

International Human Rights Law ◽

Military Forces ◽

Legal Obligations ◽

Law Of Armed Conflict ◽

Collateral Effects ◽

The Law ◽

The Military ◽

The Impact

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(SARS-CoV-2) COVID 19: Genomic surveillance and evaluation of the impact on the population speaker of indigenous language in Mexico

10.1101/2021.12.09.21267022 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Medel-Ramírez ◽

Hilario Medel-López ◽

Jennifer Lara Mérida

Keyword(s):

National Level ◽

Open Data ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Epidemiological Surveillance ◽

Indigenous Language ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Source Information ◽

Data Source ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact

AbstractThe importance of the working document is that it allows the analysis of information and cases associated with (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19, based on the daily information generated by the Government of Mexico through the Secretariat of Health, responsible for the Epidemiological Surveillance System for Viral Respiratory Diseases (SVEERV). The information in the SVEERV is disseminated as open data, and the level of information is displayed at the municipal, state and national levels. On the other hand, the monitoring of the genomic surveillance of (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19, through the identification of variants and mutations, is registered in the database of the Information System of the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) based in Germany. These two sources of information SVEERV and GISAID provide the information for the analysis of the impact of (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19 on the population in Mexico. The first data source identifies information, at the national level, on patients according to age, sex, comorbidities and COVID-19 presence (SARS-CoV-2), among other characteristics. The data analysis is carried out by means of the design of an algorithm applying data mining techniques and methodology, to estimate the case fatality rate, positivity index and identify a typology according to the severity of the infection identified in patients who present a positive result. for (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19. From the second data source, information is obtained worldwide on the new variants and mutations of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), providing valuable information for timely genomic surveillance. This study analyzes the impact of (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19 on the indigenous language-speaking population, it allows us to provide information, quickly and in a timely manner, to support the design of public policy on health.

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Fatal outcomes of imported dengue fever in adult travelers from non-endemic areas are associated with primary infections

Journal of Travel Medicine ◽

10.1093/jtm/taab020 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ralph Huits ◽

Eli Schwartz

Keyword(s):

Health Care Providers ◽

Case Reports ◽

Secondary Infection ◽

Fatal Outcome ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Severe Dengue ◽

Care Providers ◽

Denv Serotypes ◽

Secondary Infections ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The case-fatality rate of dengue in travelers is low. Secondary dengue virus (DENV) infections are considered a risk factor for fatal outcome in endemic populations; however, the impact of secondary infections on mortality in travelers has not been studied systematically. We performed a descriptive analysis of case reports of dengue fatalities in travelers. Methods We searched Medline for clinical case reports, using the free terms and MeSH headings: ‘Dengue’ OR ‘Severe Dengue’ AND ‘Travel-Related Illness’ OR ‘travel’ AND ‘Mortality’ OR ‘Fatal Outcome’. We analyzed case reports of fatal dengue in returning travelers published from 1995 to 2020, with the objective to detail risk factors for dengue mortality in this population. We verified the authors’ classifications of primary or secondary dengue infections; infections were considered as primary by absence of anti-DENV immunoglobulin (Ig)G or by IgM-to-IgG ratios greater than or equal to 1.8 in the first 7 days post symptom onset. Results We identified nine detailed reports of dengue with fatal outcome among travelers from non-endemic countries. Eight fatalities were female. The median age was 32 years (range 21–63). Out of nine fatal cases, seven travelers had a primary DENV infection, one had a secondary infection and, in one, these data were not reported. The infecting DENV serotypes were DENV-1 (n = 2), DENV-2 (n = 2) and DENV-3 (n = 3); DENV-1 or 2 (n = 1) and in one case, the serotype could not be determined. Conclusions Dengue-related deaths in travelers are rare. Most dengue cases in travelers are primary infections. Contrary to prevailing conceptions, we found that fatal outcomes of dengue in travelers from non-endemic countries were reported mainly with primary DENV infections. We alert health care providers that primary DENV infections are not always harmless and that in adult travelers from non-endemic countries, primary infections may contribute more to dengue-related mortality than secondary infections.

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