Positive AIDS Test Results Hold Steady in Military
WASHINGTON — The rate at which military recruits are testing positive for exposure to a virus associated with AIDS remained almost constant during the first three months of the year, a new Defense Department report shows.
The Pentagon has identified 458 recruits who tested positive for exposure to the virus.
Moreover, the same prevalence rate of roughly 1.5 cases per 1,000 recruits is showing up in the first results from testing men and women already on active duty, Dr. William Mayer, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, told a Senate subcommittee today.
The report shows that since last October, the Defense Department has refused to admit 431 men and 27 women into service because they tested positive.
The report also shows that the Middle Atlantic region continues to lead the nation in positive test rates for recruits and that the older the recruit, the greater the chances of a positive test.
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