Military infectiology for biosecurity control

Abstract

The article describes action of the Infectious Diseases Service of the Armed Forces in national biosecurity control through leveraging experience of military involvement, emergencies, infectious epidemic outbreaks, including rescue measures rendered during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.We utilise experience of military infectiologists to exemplify medical care management under admission influx of contagious patients. Principles are clarified of early clinical diagnostics of potentially pandemic infectious diseases and early active detection, isolation, sorting and evacuation of contagious patients in martial and close field conditions. Besides, specifics of providing specialised medical care to contagious patients, including preventive intensive care, is detailed.In 2020, healthcare and legal authorities worldwide recognised the critical capability to act under conditions close to real combat and so satisfy a minimum qualification standard of a military doctor, including infectiologist’s skills, at both systemic and individual levels of infection control, regardless of primary medical specialty. From this perspective, expertise of the Chair of Infectious Diseases (with training in medical parasitology and tropical diseases) of the Military Medical Academy can be an asset both in practice and teaching in medical universities country-wide.

Keywords

• armed forces
• biosafety
• infectious diseases service
• sars-cov-2