“The Defense Health Agency works as a combat support agency to the military services and Military Health System with epidemiology data that improves the health and readiness of all service members and their beneficiaries.
Here’s how the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch is supporting the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.”
“How We Monitor
COVID-19 is a reportable medical event (RME) in the military. RMEs are medical conditions, such as measles, which when found in individuals, potentially impact larger groups of people. The tri-service reporting system for RMEs is the Disease Reporting System internet (DRSi). The Alert and Response Ops group within the Integrated Biosurveillance section of the AFHSB at DHA tracks and reports information about COVID-19 from DRSi daily…”
“COVID-19 Lab Testing Kits
AFHSB Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) section is coordinating efforts with DoD and interagency partners to ensure DoD network labs can globally support detection and characterization of COVID-19 cases. GEIS currently funds ongoing surveillance efforts of animal markets on the Vietnam-China border and provides laboratory support for detection of respiratory diseases throughout a global network…”
“International Health Surveillance
Along with research, AFHSB concluded a NATO health surveillance collaboration meeting with international force health protection leaders March 11 at AFHSB headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland…” Read the full article here.
Source: How DHA monitors the spread of health outbreaks – By Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch, March 13, 2020. Health.mil.