Sithembile L. Mabila

1 Introduction Although many studies have evaluated injuries to Military Working Dogs (MWD) [1, 2], little is known about the occupational injuries of their handlers. MWD handlers are responsible for the training and caring of the dogs, supporting missions requiring MWD, and daily law enforcement. Like the dogs they handle, MWD handlers commonly work in the forefront of contaminated environments, potentially exposing them to environmental, biologic, and chemical warfare agents [2].

Vector-borne diseases may pose an increased risk for U.S. service members during recurring military training exercises, operations, and response missions, in addition to residence in endemic regions within and outside the continental U.S.1,2 Prior MSMR reports address VBD surveillance, described by surveillance data for 23 reportable medical events, among active duty and reserve component service members.3,4 This report covers a 13-year surveillance period, from January 2010 to December 2022,...

Inpatient and outpatient encounter data retrieved from the Defense Medical Surveillance System were used to establish that there were 1,127 diagnoses of systemic lupus erythematosus among active component U.S. service members from 2000 to 2022, with an overall incidence rate of 3.5 cases per 100,000 person-years. Annual incidence remained relatively constant over the 23-year surveillance period, peaking in 2009.