Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 4, 2026
Imaging InlC Secretion to Investigate Cellular Infection by the Bacterial Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes
Published on: September 19, 2013
Medical evacuations of members of the French armed forces for infectious diseases in foreign operations
K Simon1, P-Y Cordier1, V Pommier de Santi2
1Pôle bloc-anesthésie-réanimation-urgences, service d'accueil des urgences, hôpital d'instruction des armées LAVERAN, BP 60149, 13384 Marseille cedex 13, France.
Objectives:
Medical evacuations from foreign settings are a major health and strategic problem for the armed forces. This work aimed to study the characteristics of French military evacuations due to infectious diseases.
Patients And Methods:
We performed a retrospective study based on the registers of the French operational military staff for health to assess the characteristics of the strategic medical evacuation of French armed forces members on missions abroad between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2016.
Results:
Out of 4633 included cases, 301 medical evacuations (6.5%) were carried out due to infectious situations. More than half of patients were repatriated to surgical wards (162 patients, 54%), 108 patients (36%) to medical wards, 21 patients (7%) to intensive care units, six patients (2%) to an armed forces medical center, and four files (1%) were incomplete. Among infectious emergencies, malaria led to 30 evacuations (10%) including 11 to intensive care units and one death before evacuation. Infectious diseases requiring medical evacuation were most often mild and community-acquired. Most soldiers were evacuated without medical assistance.
Conclusions:
Infectious diseases during missions and medical repatriations carried out for infectious reasons are important epidemiological indicators to monitor. They make it possible to adapt preventive measures, training, and diagnostic and therapeutic tools which can be made available to front-line military physicians.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
01:20Infection
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...
01:26Principles of Disease Surveillance
01:26Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...