Human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity among members of the active duty US Army 1985-1989

Currently, there are only two programs that screen a large cross-section of the United States population for infection with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus; these are blood donor screening and testing of military personnel. Data on the rates of HIV infection are valuable because they are more current than statistics concerning cases of AIDS, which usually originate from infection many years prior. This report presents the results of a large-scale military screening program in which most active duty US Army soldiers were tested for antibodies to HIV. Out of the total of 648,032 soldiers screened, 1,588 tested positive for HIV infection, which translates into 2.5 per 1,000. The factors that were most strongly linked to HIV seropositivity were age (more positive results among older soldiers), being male, being black or Hispanic as opposed to white, being single versus married, having a medical occupation, and being assigned to a location where AIDS is endemic. Among male medical personnel, being unmarried was strongly linked to positive results for HIV infection. The additional risk for HIV infection among the medical personnel was apparently related to factors other than exposure to the virus through their work. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)