Self-Reporting Compared to Prospective Surveillance to Evaluate the Incidence of Diarrhea Among French Army Personnel Deployed to N’djamena, Chad

Self-reporting seems more appropriate than medical-based surveillance to estimate true incidence of diarrhea during deployment of military troops. Most soldiers self-reported multiple episodes, 42% leading to medical care, mainly the first episode, resulting in a threefold higher incidence. Mathematical models integrating self-reported data should better predict outbreaks during military deployments and define a more complete assessment of disease burden.