Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene

Emergency procedures are in place in multiple states due to Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene. >>Learn More

Reportable Medical Events, Military Health System Facilities, Week 31, Ending August 5, 2023

Image of RMEs. This graph depicts case counts for the five most frequent reportable medical event conditions among active component U.S. Armed Forces service members during the preceding year.

Reportable Medical Events are documented in the Disease Reporting System internet by Military Health System providers and public health officials to monitor, control, and prevent the occurrence and spread of diseases of public health interest or readiness importance. These reports are reviewed by each service’s public health surveillance hub. The DRSi collects reports for over 70 different RMEs, including infectious and non-infectious conditions, outbreak reports, STI risk surveys, and tuberculosis contact investigation reports. A complete list of RMEs is available in the 2022 Armed Forces Reportable Medical Events Guidelines and Case Definitions.1 Data reported in these tables are provisional and do not represent conclusive evidence until case reports are fully validated.

Click on the Table to access a 508-compliant version

Total active component cases reported per week are displayed for the top five RMEs for the previous year. Each month, the graph is updated with the top five RMEs, and is presented with the current month’s (July 2023) top five RMEs, which may differ from previous months. COVID-19 is excluded from these graphs due to changes in reporting and case definition updates in 2023.

This graph of 5 lines on the x-, or horizontal, axis depicts case counts for the 5 most frequent reportable medical event conditions among active component service members during the past 52 weeks. Chlamydia remains the most common reportable medical condition, with counts of approximately 300 cases per week. Gonorrhea is generally the second-most common reported condition, averaging approximately 80 cases per week, but in week 26 of 2023 it was surpassed by heat illness, which outnumbered gonorrhea cases for 5 weeks, until week 31, when heat illness cases declined just below the number of gonorrhea cases. Ehrlichiosis/anaplasmosis cases spiked in week 28 of 2023 to become the fifth-most common reportable medical condition, but rapidly declined thereafter. Reported syphilis cases declined dramatically in week 27, to under 10 cases reported, but rebounded to normal levels, around 50 cases, in week 28.

In July 2023, 28 cases of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis were reported from a single Army reporting unit between weeks 28 and 31. Most cases (n=27) are classified as suspect, with one confirmed case. Dates of onset range from June 5 to July 13, 2023. Etiologic agents listed include Ehrlichia ewingii (n=14), Ehrlichia chaffeensis (n=6), Panola Mountain Ehrlichia (n=6), and undetermined or unlisted ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis (n=2). All individuals had tick bites, which were documented, while attending Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, KY. The majority (n=26) of individuals did not present with any symptoms of infection but were advised to inquire about prophylactic treatment. 

Author Affiliations

Defense Centers for Public Health–Aberdeen, Disease Epidemiology Branch

References

  1. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division. Armed Forces Reportable Medical Events. Accessed September 6, 2023. https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Health-Readiness/AFHSD/Reports-and-Publications/Armed-Forces-Reportable-Medical-Events
  2. Defense Manpower Data Center. Department of Defense Active Duty Military Personnel by Rank/Grade of Service, October 31, 2022. https://dwp.dmdc.osd.mil/dwp/app/dod-data-reports/workforce-reports
  3. Defense Manpower Data Center. Armed Forces Strength Figures for January 31, 2023. https://dwp.dmdc.osd.mil/dwp/app/dod-data-reports/workforce-reports
  4. Navy Medicine. Surveillance and Reporting Tools—DRSI: Disease Reporting System Internet. https://www.med.navy.mil/Navy-Marine-Corps-Public-Health-Center/Preventive-Medicine/Program-and-Policy-Support/Disease-Surveillance/DRSI

You also may be interested in...

Report
May 1, 2023

MSMR Vol. 30 No. 5 - May 2023

.PDF | 1023.59 KB

The May 2023 MSMR reintroduces a monthly reportable medical event (RME) summary for the active component and MHS beneficiaries; then features a review of enhanced mpox outbreak case detection among MHS beneficiaries through ESSENCE (Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics); followed by a report on ...

Article
May 1, 2023

Portable RT-PCR and MinION Nanopore Sequencing as a Proof-of-Concept SARS-CoV-2 Biosurveillance in Wastewater

Wastewater treatment facility

This study reports on the efficacy of 2 different portable nucleic acid detection technologies, RT-PCR and MinION Mk1C nanopore sequencing, which identified SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater collected at Tyndall AFB during a 2-month surveillance. This highly multiplexed approach circumvented signal dropout associated with the detection of newly ...

Article
May 1, 2023

Increasing Incidence Rates of Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Active Component Service Members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2009–2021

A respiratory therapist visualizes the vocal chords of a patient using an endoscopy tool

This study examines the incidence of eosinophilic esophagitis among the active component of the U.S. Armed Forces from 2009 to 2021. Reported prevalence has been increasing worldwide, with a recent meta-analysis estimating 34.2 cases per 100,000 persons.

Article
May 1, 2023

Enhanced Mpox Outbreak Case Detection Among MHS Beneficiaries Through Use of ESSENCE (Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics)

A colorized scanning electron microscopic image of the mpox virus on the surface of infected VERO E6 cells

This report describes how ESSENCE, which collects near real-time biosurveillance data globally on U.S. military personnel, monitored the mpox outbreak in 2002 and assesses its detection of confirmed/probable cases among MHS beneficiaries. ESSENCE systematically queries millions of health encounters to detect records of potential public health ...

Article
Apr 1, 2023

Update: Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke Among Active Component Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 2018–2022

Immediate recognition and response are necessary to prevent serious effects of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

This year's annual update on the incidence of heat illness among U.S. active duty service members presents the case counts and incidence rates of heat illnesses between 2018 and 2022, as well as the locations of heat illness case occurrences during this period. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are summarized separately.

Article
Apr 1, 2023

Update: Exertional Hyponatremia Among Active Component Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 2007–2022

Exertional hyponatremia is caused by excessive water consumption following heavy physical exertion.

This annual update of the incidence of extertional hyponatremia summarizes the frequencies, rates, trends, geographic locations, and both demographic and military characteristics of incident cases of exertional hyponatremia among active component service members, from 2007 to 2022.

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: October 11, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery