Epidemiology and Analysis

The Epidemiology and Analysis (E&A) section performs comprehensive surveillance and analyses of health-related information among military service members and military-associated populations. The E&A section also provides oversight and direction to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch (AFHSB) satellites located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; Dayton, Ohio; and Portsmouth,Va. The satellites have direct interaction with the U.S. military services public health and epidemiology centers, and provide coordinated support and reports for AFHSB and the military services.

E&A leverages two major health surveillance tools maintained by AFHSB's Data Management and Technical Support section to help its staff of epidemiologists, preventive medicine physicians, and data analysts provide timely analyses and reports of actionable health information:

• Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS)
• Department of Defense (DoD) Serum Repository (DoDSR)

The use of these tools allows E&A to provide health surveillance products to DoD policymakers, military commanders, health care providers, public health officers, and researchers.

E&A's main lines of effort are:

• Providing epidemiologic consults, studies, and analyses in support of ad hoc requests
• Preparing periodic and recurring Analytical Reports to monitor trends over time of diseases, illnesses, and injuries affecting military and associated populations
• Publishing the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report (MSMR)
• Developing and distributing Standardized Health Surveillance Case Definitions and methodologies uniquely used by DoD public health practitioners
• Conducting health surveillance and epidemiology training for preventive medicine residents - Read the AFHSB Annual Report to learn about the program
• Managing updates and publication of the Armed Forces Reportable Medical Events (RME) Guidelines and Case Definitions used by DoD medical providers, public health officers and laboratories

Surveillance Data and DoDSR Serum Requests

The E&A section receives requests for DMSS data and DoDSR serum specimens from numerous DoD health surveillance professionals and researchers by email. These requests focus on ensuring the health of the U.S. military. To request data, please fill out this form. Each request is evaluated for factors such as military relevance, status as research versus public health practice, scientific integrity, and feasibility. Past requests have involved:

• Tracking service members' health status before and after deployment
• Communicable diseases
• Chronic illness and injuries
• Vaccination rates as well as vaccine effectiveness and safety
• Sero-epidemiologic surveillance and research studies

To make a request for data, analysis or serum, the requester must meet certain criteria including:

• A requester must be a military service member or government employee working for a U.S. military organization.
• The study/ analysis must address a military-relevant topic.
• The types of requests made to the AFHSB include: Operational Public Health Practice, Research Support, and Clinical Support.

Learn More About E&A