AIDS/HIV in the Armed Forces

[Aidan]

A quite harsh topic I've heard debated about amongst military officers (When I was in JROTC listening to lectures/questions being answered) is whether or not people infected with AIDS/HIV should be allowed to serve in -ANY- military.

The initial argument supporting AIDS/HIV infected peoples was that if they are willing to serve their country, they should be allowed in no matter their predicament.

Of course, the counter-argument I heard often is that AIDS/HIV can be spread very quickly on a battlefield or even a training exercise. One small wound that isn't handled very carefully may lead to an entire platoon becoming infected, depending on how many people come in contact with infected blood.

What's everyone else's view on this?

[Jikanu]

Hm... idk. i think that maybe it should be prohibited, or they should be in a more secure area, like, comanding a drone, out of fear that they could cause more casualties than they would help.

[Hraesvelg]

How are cases like tuberculosis handled?

[Aidan]

How are cases like tuberculosis handled?

Usually TB is quarantined. If a soldier falls ill and they are tested positive for TB, their whole flight/platoon has to go in for testing and they're usually kept off-limits from outside contact until they are all treated.

Though there are some cases where the TB can be so severe they sometimes discharge people who either frequently get it, or people that suffer irreperable damage from it.

[Spirit]

I do not think it should be allowed. It may seem harsh to say that, but for the safety and well-being of the rest of the troops/units, I do not think it should be allowed. If that person is injured on a battlefield, his/her platoon is not going to have the time to "prepare and sanitize and take necessary precautions" to tend to his/her wounds or to even be handling them.

I think that someone with an infection disease, AIDS/HIV or whatever, that poses a risk to the rest of the unit, should not be allowed to serve in a war zone or not.

I say war zone or not, because even if they were not put in a war zone, they would still need to go through basic training and all that and they could still pose a risk.