Succo T., De Laval F., Sicard S., Belleoud D., Marimoutou C., Mayet A., Sagaon Teyssier Luis, Michel R. (2017). Do alcohol-based hand rubs reduce the incidence of acute diarrhea during military deployments ? A prospective randomized trial. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 15, p. 48-51. ISSN 1477-8939.
Titre du document
Do alcohol-based hand rubs reduce the incidence of acute diarrhea during military deployments ? A prospective randomized trial
Succo T., De Laval F., Sicard S., Belleoud D., Marimoutou C., Mayet A., Sagaon Teyssier Luis, Michel R.
Source
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 2017,
15, p. 48-51 ISSN 1477-8939
Background: Acute diarrhea remains a public health concern in armed forces deployed in tropical areas where access to water and soap is limited. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHR) on incidence of diarrhea in poor hygiene conditions. Method: A prospective randomized trial was conducted between November 2014 and January 2015 among French military troops deployed in Africa to compare a group of soldiers receiving usual hand hygiene recommendations (control group), to a group of soldiers who received ABHR in addition to usual hand hygiene recommendations (intervention group). Data on diarrhea and hygiene behaviors were collected using self-questionnaires. The incidence rate of diarrhea episodes in groups was compared. Results: Participation rate was 59% (236/400). The proportion of individuals who used ABHR was 97% in the intervention group and 62% in the control group. The overall incidence rate of diarrheal episodes was observed to be in the region of 60 per 100 persons-month without any significant difference between groups after adjustment on confounding factors (p = 0.93). Handwashing with soap was used on average 4 times a day in the control group and twice a day in the intervention group (p = 0.93). It was the only significant protective factor for diarrhea (p < 10(-3)). Conclusion: Our results support that supplying soap and good quality water should be a priority on the field.
