New vaccine regs for airmen, Marines in Asia
By Patricia Kime, Staff writer 3:44 p.m. EST February 19, 2015
Air Force members on temporary duty or permanently assigned to Japan or South Korea, as well as all Marines serving with III Marine Expeditionary Force in Asia are now required to get the Japanese encephalitis vaccine.
As of Feb. 1, all airmen serving in Japan or South Korea for more than 30 days must get the two-shot series of the vaccine, known by the brand-name Ixiaro.
Marine Lt. Gen. John Wissler, III MEF commander, issued a message Dec. 1 stating that all personnel arriving in the MEF area of operations, including Hawaii, must get the immunization before arriving in the region.
Current Defense Department guidelines on the vaccine follow the recommendations of the Health and Human Services Department's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, which says travelers planning to stay longer than 30 days in areas of Asia and the Western Pacific where the disease is endemic should consider getting the immunization.
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The Defense Department also recommends that personnel get it if they are going to be stationed for more than 30 days in places where the disease is endemic, particularly if they will be engaged in prolonged field or night exercises and operations.
While the risk of contracting Japanese encephalitis is low — less than 1 percent — the disease, which can cause fever, headache, neck stiffness and disorientation, has a 20 percent to 30 percent fatality rate.
It also carries the risk of causing serious neurological and cognitive damage — lifelong consequences that affect 30 percent to 50 percent of victims who survive the disease.
In a statement to airmen, Air Force Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Thomas Travis said the vaccine is now mandatory to ensure that airmen follow the ACIP guidelines and are adhering to practices in host countries.
"The threat from Japanese encephalitis is small but real with a potential for very serious consequences," Travis wrote in his guidance.
According to representatives of the Army and Navy, personnel in those services will continue to follow ACIP guidance and receive it on an as-needed basis.
The Air Force guidelines encourage civilian employees and family members stationed in affected regions to get the immunizations, although they aren't required to do so.
Japanese encephalitis has been identified in 26 countries and 68,000 clinical cases a year, according to the World Health Organization.
No active-duty personnel contracted Japanese encephalitis from 2004 to 2013, according to Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center data but a retired Air Force member living in South Korea died from the virus in August 2012.
To prevent Japanese encephalitis or any other mosquito-borne virus when stationed in areas where such diseases are a threat, Army guidance recommends limiting outdoor activities from dusk until dawn and installing bed nets, using insect repellent and wearing long sleeves and long pants during mosquito season.
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/benefits/health-care/2015/02/19/airmen-marines-vaccine-regulationsmilitary-japanese-encephalitis/23683057/
