Military troops and civilian humanitarian personnel residing in barracks and naval vessels are at risk of a variety of communicable diseases. Infectious diseases have proven to be of great concern to military personnel over the past two decades.
Military personnel are exposed to a variety of infections which are a result of Africa’s harsh conditions .These have presented in the form of measles, chicken pox and mumps, legionella disease and pneumonia. Viral Hepatitis A has also proven to be a major problem for the SANDF as it is endemic in Central Africa where many of the troops are deployed.
Available data also suggests that the SANDF is affected by other diseases which have a high mortality rate such as malaria and HIV. Another significant pathogen is Dengue fever which is found in tropical areas such as Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This increase in infectious and parasitic diseases within military personnel has required the haematology laboratory to detect and evaluate important changes and abnormalities in the peripheral blood in order to contribute to the correct diagnosis.