An outbreak of gastroenteritis in an airmobile unit

An infantry battalion as part of an Airmobile Brigade took part in a field exercise in Germany during mid summer 1984. During the exercise the battalion suffered from an outbreak of gastroenteritis which affected at least 64 men, some 10% of its total strength. The follow up investigation revealed that it was likely that the origin of the outbreak was uncontrolled drinking of polluted water from two streams. This paper seeks to underline the lesson that poor water discipline can have serious consequences for units in the field.