Citation

MSMR 2012; 19(10): 2-6.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, U.S. Armed Forces Surveillance Center)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

23121005

Abstract

From July 2011 through June 2012, the number of active and reserve component service members treated for cold injuries (n=499) was lower than the number in each of the four previous one year periods. Over the last five years, frostbite was the most common type of cold injury in all the Services except for the Marine Corps, in which hypothermia was slightly more frequent. Service members who were female, less than 20 years old, or of black, non-Hispanic race/ethnicity tended to have higher cold injury rates than their respective counterparts. Army personnel accounted for the majority of cold injuries. Service members who train in and deploy to areas with wet and freezing conditions - and their supervisors at all levels - should be able to recognize the signs of cold injury and should know and implement the standard countermeasures against the threat of cold injury.

Language: en