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Malaria is a significant military threat, with highest prevalence on
Thailand’s Burmese and Cambodian borders. In 1995, RTA units deployed
to the Tak province suffered 25% monthly malaria attack rates.
Increasing drug resistance requires sustained research and development
for effective drugs, vaccines, and repellents. Efforts to improve the
diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of malaria are ongoing.
Scrub typhus is a serious disease for military personnel. Diagnosis of
the disease based on the clinical presentation alone is difficult
because signs approximate those of other tropical diseases. Laboratory
confirmation is necessary and research efforts are directed towards
improved methods of diagnosis.
Priorities in the area of sexually transmitted diseases (Chlamydia,
Herpes, Ureaplasma, Mycoplasma spp.) include basic
research on the epidemiology of these diseases, laboratory diagnostic
support, determination of the efficacy of antibiotic treatment and the
provision of health education.
A study to
assess wastewater disposal and quality of effluent from RTA hospitals.
Division of
Analysis
Military personnel routinely undergo screening and confirmatory tests of
drug abuse, primarily morphine, amphetamine and marijuana. Surveillance
reveals a shift from the use of morphine narcotics to amphetamine;
however, positive cases remain at less than two percent.
Research and laboratory support are provided to assess environmental,
clinical and occupational exposures to potential hazards. Active
investigations include monitoring the water supply for quality and
contaminants, evaluating health problems in workers exposed to toxic
chemicals in RTA industrial plants, studies of cyanobacterial toxins in
water resources in army units and determination of vitamin, electrolyte or
antimalarial drugs levels in biological fluids. |
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Randomized,
double-blind, placebo controlled evaluation of monthly WR238605 (Tafenoquine)
for prophylaxis of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax
in RTA soldiers.
Results
of a Dot-ELISA test for the serodiagnosis of scrub typhus.
Health promotion has
a high priority and clinical laboratory testing is accomplished to
screen the military population for nutritional, genetic, metabolic, or
environmentally induced diseases to effect early detection and allow
prompt intervention. Studies of the herbal effects on biochemistry
values are also conducted.
The seroprevalence of antibody to leptospirosis and risk factors are
determined in Thai military recruits. Collaborative studies involving
zoonotic and vector-borne diseases are ongoing. Wild and indigenous
animals are monitored for scrub typhus and leptospirosis. Animal studies
have been conducted to determine the efficacy of therapeutics in
treating scrub typhus and nematode parasites.
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