Communicable diseases pose a significant threat to both public health and military operations. Proper surveillance of illness and disease burden across the military population requires standardized data collection and entry of reportable medical events (RMEs) into the Disease Reporting Surveillance internet (DRSi).
All cases reported to the DRSi follow a case definition as defined in the
2022-Armed Forces Reportable Medical Events Guidelines and Case Definitions
(AFRME) The AFRME includes information on the requirement to report, common terminology for RMEs, and what not to report.
The Communicable Disease Toolkit (CDT) was developed to enhance the surveillance, reporting, and management of communicable diseases within the Department of Defense (DoD) population. It aims to standardize the approach to handling RMEs, ensuring timely and accurate data collection and reporting to protect public health and military readiness.
The purpose of the CDT is to serve as a standardized resource for public health professionals at military treatment facilities (MTFs), provide guidance with outbreak investigation, and aid in RME reporting and surveillance in line with DoD policy. For each RME, this toolkit includes: a standardized reference sheet with detailed information, including clinical and epidemiological data; a flowchart with information about the classification and reporting of cases in DRSi; and an investigation worksheet for the collection of detailed case information. The toolkit also has an Outbreak Investigation reference sheet and flowchart to guide case and contact investigations and ensure adherence to DoD policies.
For further information, you can contact DRSi and Reportable Medical Event Help Desk, DSN: 867-2377, COMM: 410-417-2377; email:
dha.apg.pub-health-a.mbx.disease-epidemiologyprogram13@health.mil.
The toolkit includes a
guide to case and outbreak investigations and a list of 71 RME. Each RME has:
- A Reference Sheet that offers detailed clinical and epidemiological data for each RME.
- A Case Definition Flowchart to assist in determining case classification during reporting.
- An Investigation Worksheet that facilitate the collection of case-specific information for reporting in the DRSi.
The toolkit will be updated periodically and is available online or to
download here and from the DRSi Resources page. If you choose to print this document, insert updates in the appropriate location and file the old version at the back of the book.
