INCIDENCE AND PREVENTION OF LYME BORRELIOSIS AMONG MILITARY FORCES OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/1681-2727.2025.2.15303Keywords:
Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne infections, borrelia, troops, preventionAbstract
SUMMARY. Tick-borne infections account for 17 % of human infectious diseases worldwide, with Lyme borreliosis (LB) being the most common. From 2018 to 2022, 45.16 cases of LB per 100 000 were registered annually in Ukraine. This infection is increasingly being detected in the troops of many foreign countries.
The purpose of this review was to examine the incidence of LB and the experience of preventing it in the military of different countries.
Over the past 20 years, the authors of a number of articles have noted an increase in the incidence of LB among U.S. military personnel, mainly in the northeastern states and upper Midwest. Borrelia antibodies were detected in the blood of 11.9 % Finnish and 26.0 % of Slovak soldiers. Therefore, appropriate educational programs and preventive measures remain important.
The US strategy for protecting troops against LB includes personal protective equipment (permethrin-treated uniforms, proper clothing, insect and tick repellent for exposed skin, etc.) Additional field treatment is provided. The US Department of Defense’s Central Epidemiological Resource has been introduced, which systematically publishes a report on the detection and control of vector-borne infections. At the same time, there is no mandatory training on LB and other tick-borne infections. Work is ongoing to develop a vaccine against LB.
The separate section of the article summarizes the world experience of combating infection in the military through educational and preventive measures at the individual and unit levels, which should be shared with Ukrainian military doctors and commanders.
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Copyright (c) 2025 М. А. Андрейчин, М. М. Корда, М. Т. Гук, Я. І. Йосик, І. С. Іщук
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