HIV/Aids is devastating Africa’s armed forces in a wave of HIV infections driven largely by foreign peacekeeping missions, according to new research.
The disease has overtaken combat and malaria as the leading cause of death among soldiers and sailors.
Western diplomats and military officials have expressed alarm that sub-Saharan countries will be left without the means to tackle insurgencies, disorder and terrorism.
A study into the Nigerian armed forces this week confirmed suspicion that military personnel are far likelier than civilians to be infected with HIV. ”Aids is now the leading cause of death in military and police forces in some African countries, accounting for more than half of in-service mortality,” it reported.
Most of the Nigerians surveyed knew that HIV could be transmitted through sex but that knowledge was undermined by the false belief that there was a cure for Aids.
Published by BioMed Central, an independent peer-reviewed public health journal, the research put Nigeria’s armed forces in the same league as those of Angola, Cameroon, South Africa and Uganda, which separate studies have shown to have high rates of infection.
”Personnel in the military are at increased risk of HIV infection. Naval personnel who have been transferred abroad reported significantly more risky sexual behaviour than others.” – Guardian Unlimited Â