Clinical recognition of meningococcal disease

1394 www.thelancet.com Vol 367 April 29, 2006 medical evacuation included “injuries sustained as a result of hostile actions, accidents and other incidents”. Further information published online by the Ministry of Defence reveals that about 1200 additional medical evacuations had occurred during 2005. Until there is a change in policy and practice within the Ministry of Defence, we can only deal in informed guesswork in the assessment of the public-health eff ect of the war on people serving in the British military. As argued by Bird, we owe them more than this.