Endocrine And Metabolic Disorders
The following conditions may disqualify you from military service:
a. Adrenal dysfunction of any degree.
b. Diabetes mellitus of any type.
c. Glycosuria. Persistent, when associated with impaired glucose tolerance or renal tubular defects.
d. Acromegaly. Gigantism or other disorder of pituitary function.
e. Gout.
Goiter, persistent or untreated.
Hypothyroidism, uncontrolled by medication.
Cretinism.
Thyroiditis.
i. Nutritional deficiency diseases. Such diseases include beriberi, pellagra and scurvy.
j. Other endocrine or metabolic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, porphyria and amyloidosis that obviously prevent satisfactory performance of duty or require frequent or prolonged treatment.
Why The Test Is Performed
The test is done to confirm herpes infection. Herpes simplex virus causes genital herpes. It can also cause cold sores of the mouth and lips. Herpes zoster causes chickenpox and shingles.
The diagnosis is often made by physical examination . The cultures and other tests are used to confirm the diagnosis.
This test is most likely accurate when a person is newly infected, that is, during the first outbreak.
Sexually Transmitted Infections Increasing In The Military
Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis have increased significantly across the military over the past eight years, a study found.
Black service members, women, and enlisted personnel with lower levels of education are most at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, according to the study published in the March edition of the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, a peer-reviewed military health journal.
The study analyzed administrative data and reports from all four branches of the military to provide a comprehensive picture of STIs between 2012 and 2020, using medical and diagnostic codes to identify instances of the five most common STIs chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes and human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Patterns in STI frequency mirrored those of the civilian population, but rates of infection in the military were in many cases disproportionately higher.
Of the four branches, the Army had the highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and genital herpes. The Navy had the highest rates of syphilis, and the Air Force had the highest rates of HPV.
RELATED
Motor transportation workers had higher rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis than any other occupational specialty, while health care occupations had higher rates of HPV. Communications and intelligence specialists, alongside transportation and health care occupations, displayed the highest rates of genital herpes.
You May Like: Do Genital Herpes Bumps Go Away
What You Need To Know About Herpes And How Its Transmitted
Two versions of the herpes simplex virus can cause this infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention : herpes simplex virus type 1 and herpes simplex virus type 2 .
You might be thinking, Oooh, wait, HSV-1 causes oral herpes, and HSV-2 causes genital herpes, right? Technically, yes. But thats not the full picture. Both viruses can infect either your mouth or your genitals through skin-to-skin contact, the CDC explains.
HSV-1 has a predilection for the oral mucosa, but cases affecting the genitals are rising, Susan Bard, M.D., a New York City board-certified dermatologist and adjunct clinical instructor at the Mount Sinai Hospital, tells SELF. This can happen if, say, a person with HSV-1 in their mouth passes the infection to someones genitals while performing oral sex. And although HSV-2 is still behind most cases of genital herpes, it can cause oral herpes when someone with this infection on their genitals passes it to another persons mouth during oral sex.
You might think these signs would make it really obvious that something is up with your health if you have herpes. But its also entirely possible to have herpes without exhibiting any symptoms at all. The virus can lie dormant in the body without ever making itself known. Thats why so many people have herpes without realizing it, the CDC explains.
Herpes Viral Culture Of Lesion
Culture – herpes simplex virus Herpes simplex virus culture Herpes zoster virus culture
Herpes viral culture of a lesion is a laboratory test to check if a skin sore is infected with the herpes virus.
A viral lesion culture is performed to confirm herpes simplex virus present in a skin lesion. The specimen is collected by scraping the suspected skin lesion or aspirating fluid from the lesion. Results are available within 16 hours to 7 days of receipt of the specimen, depending on the culture method used.
You May Like: How To Get Herpes To Go Away
Stds And The Military: Busting The Myths
If I& #8217 m in the military and have an STD, I& #8217 ll get in trouble with my command.
Not true, say most military health care providers. Commanding officers have access to medical records, but the mind-set these days is to treat and contain the disease, not punish the servicemember.
& #8220 In the past, we used to punish sailors for having STDs, but from a preventative medical standpoint, that was absolutely counterproductive,& #8221 U.S. 7th Fleet Preventive Health Officer Cmdr. Eric Kasowski said. & #8220 We want them treated and we want them ready. We try hard not to stigmatize it too much to keep sailors from being treated. We teach and enforce avoidance & #8212 and it seems to work pretty well.& #8221
Technically, you can get in trouble if the infection is the result of policy infractions such as being in an off-limits club, said Lt. Col. Marie Price, the Army& #8217 s 18th Medical Command chief public health promotion coordinator in South Korea.
My STD is my business.
Not necessarily. Positive tests for chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B and HIV are reportable to public health officials in all branches of the military. Counseling sessions are then mandated for two purposes: to explain about the disease and to contain it. Most interviews will ask the person to names their sexual partners going back six months, and preventive health officials will inform the partners so they can get tested.
My risk of getting an STD drops when I& #8217 m home from my deployment.
Medical Conditions That Can Keep You From Joining The Military
Below, you will find details from the Army‘s “Standards of Medical Fitness.” These standards generally apply to all other branches as well. Remember that most of these conditions are not necessarily permanently disqualifying, but they are red flags.
If you have had a medical complication at any time in your life that is mentioned here, then you need to tell your recruiter. They will tell you whether your condition can be waived, or if it is permanently disqualifying. Remember that if you do not get an official waiver and your condition later is discovered, you most likely will be dishonorably discharged for fraudulent enlistment. The choice is yours.
Read Also: How To Spread Herpes 2
Why You Have To Wait
Many STI tests, particularly those for viral STIs such as herpes and HIV, do not look for the infection itself. Instead, they look for your body’s reaction to the infection, specifically your antibody response.
When you are exposed to or infected with an STI, your immune system will try to fight off the pathogen. Part of this process involves making antibodies against the infectious agent.
These antibodies are specific to whatever you are infected with. That’s how a blood test can look for antibodies to a specific STI and tell whether you have it. However, these specific antibodies take time to develop.
How much time it takes for your body to make detectable amounts of antibodies against your infection depends upon a number of factors, including:
- Whether you’ve been infected with the same pathogen before
- How active the infection is
- How much of the pathogen entered your body
- The overall health of your immune system
- What type of antibody the test is looking for
Serologic Testing And Follow
All rapid testing was performed with SD Bioline kits testing for antibodies to hepatitis C and syphilis were performed at the study site, while HIV and HSV-2 screening and all confirmatory testing were performed at the Afghan Public Health Institute laboratory. HSV-2 screening was performed with HerpeSelect HSV-2 ELISA repeat testing in duplicate/triplicate was used for confirmation. All reactive rapid tests received confirmatory testing, with Western Blot used to confirm HIV. Polymerase chain reaction was performed as the initial confirmatory test for HCV. This choice was prompted by cost the price for each sample for PCR was 20% of the cost of the reflex recombinant immunoblot assay assay. Non-viremic samples were then tested for hepatitis C antibody with RIBA. Treponema pallidum plasma agglutinin assay was used to confirm syphilis infection, followed by rapid plasma reagin titre for clinical disposition.
Also Check: What Does Herpes Do To Your Body
The Blood Tests Do Have A Lot Of Value But Here Are The Biggest Issues:
About 50% of the population has type 1 herpes. Type 1 can be genital or oral. If you have never had symptoms and obtain an IgG based type-specific blood test , and the test comes back positive for type 1, we have no way of knowing whether you are infected orally, genitally, or both. The only way we can know which location is infected is by symptoms.
About 30% of negative results for HSV 1 are false negatives. This means if you test negative, you might still have HSV 1.
If you are positive for type 2 and fall within a positive range of 1.1 – 3.5, theres a decent chance this is a false positive. About 50% of positives that fall in this range are in error, with the closer you get to 3.5 the more likely you are positive and the closer to 1.1 the less likely you are positive. There can be false positives above 3.5 as well but theyre less likely. If you do test positive within this low range, the CDC recommends confirmatory testing. The most accurate confirmatory blood test is the Western Blot. The Western Blot is more complicated to obtain and your insurance may not cover it. In addition, many doctors do not know about the high false positive rate within this range so they incorrectly diagnose their patients without getting confirmation. I have worked with a number of patients diagnosed within this range who I encouraged to follow up with the Western Blot and they discovered they were negative.
Blood tests given too early after possible exposure can be false negative.
Condition #5 Eyesight Issues
According to the standards of physical fitness provided by Armed Forces, there are some eyesight issues that are disqualifying.
Armed Force members are required to maintain certain visual standards with or without visual correction devices such as spectacle lenses. The regulations for eyesight without a visual aid are:
- Soldiers must be able to see at least 20/40 in one eye, and 20/70 in the other eye.
- Or 20/30 in one eye and at least 20/100 in the other eye.
If a spectacle aid for eyesight is required the standards are:
- 20/20 in one eye and 20/400 in the other eye.
Entrance into US Military Academy or ROTC has additional requirements. The distant visual acuity must correct to 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other. Vision below those standards is disqualifying.
Officer Candidate School OCS has standards of 20/20 and 20/100.
There is no standard set for color vision, which is a common concern. Though it will get tested for certain branches of the military , it is not a requirement to qualify.
However, it may restrict you from joining certain specialties of the U.S. Military.
For example, if you wanted to become a Navy SEAL, you must meet specific eyesight requirements.
They include 20/40 vision in your best eye, 20/70 vision in your worst eye, and it must be correctable to 20/25 with no color blindness.
There are several rare types of eyesight issues such as blepharitis, conjunctiva, cornea dystrophy, and iridocyclitis that are disqualifying diseases.
Don’t Miss: What Is The Herpes Zoster Vaccine
Im Pregnant What Do I Need To Know
To get the best care, tell your doctor you have genital herpes, because it could make you more likely to have a miscarriage or give birth too soon.
Its possible to pass along the virus to your baby. For infants, it can be life-threatening. Your doctor can talk to you about how to lower the chances that this will happen.
If you have an outbreak while youre pregnant, your doctor can give you medicine to treat your symptoms and stop them sooner.
Your doctor may give you a drug to prevent an outbreak as your due date gets closer. This is because your baby could get herpes by passing through your birth canal if youre having an outbreak when you go into labor. If thats a possibility, your doctor will most likely want to do a C-section, which is surgery to deliver the baby.
Continued
How Soon Will I Get My First Outbreak
If youve come into contact with the virus but havent had an outbreak, theres no absolutely certain answer.
A newly infected person will typically have their first outbreak two weeks after contact. However, it can begin within hours of contact or even take a couple of years.
In as many as half of people having primary outbreaks, there are no clinically evident symptoms. In the rest, the symptoms may appear anytime between a few hours to weeks after contact. However, in most, the symptoms start during the first 24 hours of contact.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Herpes On Lip At Home
Genitalia Defects That Disqualify You From The Military
Current sexually transmitted disease or history of genital infection or ulceration, I am retired military, The following are required for service connection, Anything curable and not on the standard STD panel isnt an issue, STDs are not really on the list, The following conditions may disqualify you forDid you know that a little over 1 in 6 people in the US between the ages of 14 and 49 have genital herpes?, If you are someone who has herpes, 2, the negative impact a positive herpes test has on someones life can be enormous
Medical Conditions Affecting Military Service
Are there any conditions or illnesses that automatically disqualify you from service? What about a condition that may make it more difficult to enlist yet does not immediately disqualify a person?
Here are the answers to some of the most common physical or mental conditions that the U.S. Military takes into consideration
Read Also: How To Treat Herpes Zoster
What Happens During A Herpes Test
If you have blisters or sores, your doctor or nurse will gently take a sample of fluid from the sores with a swab and test it.
If you dont have any sores, talk with your doctor or nurse about whether a blood test for herpes makes sense for you. But herpes tests aren’t normally recommended unless you do have symptoms.
The idea of getting tested may seem scary, but try to chill out. STD testing is a regular part of being a responsible adult and taking care of your health. And herpes tests are quick and usually painless.
There Are Two Common Blood Tests Used To Identify Herpes And They’re Often Misleading
“I had a patient once who underwent this test, which was positive, and was told she has herpes, which to her was devastating and life-altering,” Friedman says. “She burst into tears when I explained the significance or lack thereof with this test, which is very misleading.” There are two common blood tests used to identify herpes: IgG and IgM. The IgM test is still used by some doctors even though it has been denounced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . According to the American Sexual Health Association , IgM tests can lead to deceptive results, as well as false assumptions about how and when a person acquired HSV.
And that’s not all: IgM tests fail to accurately distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies, leading them to provide false-positive results for HSV-2. In other words, if you’ve been exposed to oral herpes , results of the IgM test could lead you to believe you’re positive for genital herpes, when in fact you simply have antibodies against HSV-1.
IgG tests, on the other hand, are more accurate, but aren’t without their own issues. For instance, ASHA says that while an IgG test can distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2, the problem is that the time it takes for IgG antibodies to reach a detectable level varies from person to person. This means that even with accurate results, someone could get a false-negative if they have the test administered too soon after contracting the virus .
Read Also: How Many Days For Herpes To Heal
Condition #11 Learning Disabilities
The U.S. Military does consider learning disabilities when deciding if someone is appropriate for service.
The causes for rejection for enlistment without an approved medical waiver include things like ADHD.
Related Article:Can You Join The Military With ADD/ADHD?
Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a disqualifying condition. The exception is if the individual can demonstrate academic performance that is acceptable and has not used any medication in the past 12 months.
The military is currently reexamining its approach for ADHD and has noted recently that it might start assessing circumstances on a case by case basis.
Furthermore, current or a history of academic skills or perceptual defects that are secondary to organic or functional mental disorders and interfere with school or employment are disqualifying.
Once again, individuals may apply for a waiver by providing sufficient academic standing and previous employment performance.
If you have problems focusing, have no motivation to get stuff done, or exhibit typical ADHD symptoms, you might want to check out a product called Mind Lab Pro.
I recently got a chance to test it out, and it actually worked quite well.
to read my full review,
Can You Get A Herpes Outbreak Right After Another How Do You Know If Youre Having A Second Herpes Outbreak
People with symptomatic HSV-1 may experience several outbreaks per year. The herpes virus takes up permanent residence in the nerve roots and can never be totally eliminated. Some people will experience a second crop of lesions, bumps, and itchiness however, general feelings of being unwell are not usually present with recurring infections.
Don’t Miss: What Causes Genital Herpes Breakouts