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PENSACOLA, Fla., Jan 11, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- The 40 U.S. Army Rangers returning from Afghanistan in 2002 may have contracted malaria because of inadequate use of preventive measures.
Disruptions in health care infrastructure, maneuvering of numerous military personnel and exposure of individuals with nominal or no immunity bring an increased risk for malaria, according to Dr. Russ S. Kotwal, of the Naval Operational Medicine Institute, Pensacola, Fla.
Kotwal studied the 725-man Ranger Task Force deployed to Afghanistan from June and September 2002. Solders were instructed to consume antimalaria chemoprophylaxis, minimize exposed skin, impregnating uniforms and bed nets with permethrin and applying topical insect repellent to exposed skin.
The study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, found a total of 38 patients were infected with malaria -- an attack rate of 52.4 cases per 1,000 soldiers.
A major cause of malaria is failure of patients to prescribed preventive measures, according to Kotwal.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
