Anti-epidemic protection of military from malaria in South-East Asia (for the 15th anniversary of the humanitarian operation to eliminate the consequences of the tsunami in Indonesia)

Abstract

The experience of organizing a system of anti-epidemic measures in the Russian military medical group operating on the territory of the island of Sumatra during the humanitarian operation to eliminate the effects of the tsunami in 2005 is presented. A characteristic of the consequences of a natural disaster, a climatogeographic description of the region is presented. The natural-climatic and socio-economic conditions for the spread of malaria infection in the coverage area of the Russian military medical group are analyzed. Russian military physicians acted in an equatorial climate in a zone of tropical rainforest in a highly endemic area for tropical (P. falciparum) and three-day (P. vivax) malaria, as well as for vector-borne tropical infections such as dengue fever, vuhereriosis, and brugiosis. Among the carriers of malaria parasites and other tropical infections on the territory of about. Sumatra mosquitoes Anopheles sundaicus are of the greatest epidemic importance. In 2005, their mass breeding occurred in late January – early February (1,5–2 months earlier than usual). A system of anti-malarial protection of personnel is described, aimed at reducing the risk of infection of military personnel, preventing the development of the disease and its malignant course, early detection of patients and their effective treatment. There were no cases of malaria among the Russian military personnel during their entire stay in the endemic territory. At the same time, the incidence rate among Indonesian soldiers and local residents was constantly increasing. In hospitals, the number of patients with severe forms of tropical malaria increased. Thus, the effectiveness of the developed system of antimalarial measures among the military personnel involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in the territory with a continuous season of transmission of malaria infection has been confirmed.