Military Hygiene and Hygiene in Emergencies - K.O. Pashka 2005

Fundamentals of the organization and execution of sanitary surveillance and medical control over the nutrition of military personnel and the population in field conditions

Sanitary supervision of Nutrition for personnel of military and civilian formations, as well as the affected population, is carried out to ensure its adequacy, which helps preserve health, enhance resistance to adverse environmental factors, and prevent food- and Water-borne diseases among servicemen and the population.

Field nutrition sanitary supervision involves monitoring the quantitative and qualitative adequacy of rations and assessing the actual nutritional status of personnel through hygienic analysis. To this end, designated officials periodically verify whether the daily ration allowances are fully provided to the personnel (population): they determine the mass and volume of products placed in cauldrons, the yield of prepared dishes, as well as The amount of bread, sugar, and butter issued per person. If necessary, selective laboratory analyses of the Chemical Composition and ENERGY VALUE OF food products can be conducted by sanitary-epidemiological facilities (SEF, SEL, and SES), along with determining ascorbic acid content in cooked meals. An objective criterion for nutritional status is the assessment of height-weight and other anthropometric indicators during selective medical examinations to detect disorders caused by inadequate nutrition. Therefore, an essential preventive measure is the participation of the unit's medical service chief in drafting the menu and designing a dietary regimen that best aligns with the conditions of combat training for personnel (or working conditions for the population).

Control over the wholesomeness of Food Products and prepared meals is achieved by verifying compliance with sanitary rules during food storage, transportation, and Processing, which is of paramount importance in the field. To a large extent, this depends on the sanitary condition of food supply points, their equipment, and the surrounding area. Furthermore, food quality must be assessed daily, and ready-to-eat meals must be evaluated before each distribution with a Conclusion regarding their fitness for consumption. For this purpose, food warehouses and dining facilities assess the wholesomeness of food and cooked meals based on external signs and organoleptic properties, such as shape, appearance, color, odor, taste, and consistency. Compliance with expiration dates and packaging integrity is mandatory. Laboratory testing and sanitary-epidemiological expertise of food, water, and cooked meals are performed in sanitary-epidemiological institutions (SEF, SES); meat and meat products are tested in veterinary (military-veterinary) laboratories.

In field environments, medical oversight of the health status of food service personnel and public catering workers, as well as monitoring their adherence to personal hygiene rules, becomes critically important. This is necessary to identify potential bacillary carriers or infectious patients among them who could trigger outbreaks of infectious diseases or microbial food poisoning among personnel (or the population). When necessary, foodstuffs suspected of being contaminated with bacterial (biological) agents undergo sanitary-microbiological testing.

To prevent non-microbial food poisoning among servicemen and the population, locally procured food products are approved for consumption only after inspection, while captured (trophy) supplies require expertise testing in appropriate laboratories. An integral part of food poisoning Prevention involves health education conducted by medical and sanitary-epidemiological personnel among catering officials, unit personnel, and the local population regarding the potential causes of food poisoning and preventive measures.

In the event of acute intestinal infections and food poisoning among personnel, the unit's medical service chief must conduct an investigation, determine the causes, report to the command, notify the relevant sanitary-epidemiological institution, and participate in outbreak control and mitigation.

To improve the nutrition of servicemen and the population, the unit's medical service chief, together with a representative of the sanitary-epidemiological institution, develops recommendations and submits them to the command (management) for Structure/175.html">Implementation.