Update: Cold weather injuries, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2010-June 2015

From July 2014 through June 2015, the number of active and reserve component service members treated for cold injuries (n=603) was much lower than the 719 cases diagnosed during the previous, unusually cold winter of 2013- 2014. Army personnel accounted for the majority (51%) of cold injuries. Frostbite was the most common type of cold injury in each of the services except the Marine Corps for which immersion foot was unusually common. Consistent with trends from previous cold seasons, service members who were female, younger than 20 years old, or of black, non-Hispanic race/ethnicity tended to have higher cold injury rates than their respective counterparts. Numbers of cases in the combat zone have decreased in the past 3 years, most likely the result of declining numbers of personnel exposed and the changing nature of operations. It is important that awareness, policies, and procedures continue to be emphasized to reduce the toll of cold injuries among U.S. service members.