Regular Checks For A.i.d.s. At Base (Press, 30 September 1987)
This is a Generative AI summary of this newspaper article. It may contain errors or omissions. Please note that the language in the summary is reflective of the original article and the societal attitudes of the time in which it was written.
Summary: Regular Checks For A.i.d.s. At Base (Press, 30 September 1987)
On 30 September 1987, United States authorities confirmed that all naval personnel stationed at the Antarctic Support Force base in Christchurch undergo regular screenings for HIV/AIDS. This announcement came in response to claims made by Mr Larry Ross, secretary of the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone Committee, who suggested that preventing warship visits could help stop the spread of AIDS. Ross argued that American Navy personnel were inadvertently contributing to the transmission of the disease, a viewpoint rejected by U.S. officials. At the Harewood base, all officers and enlisted personnel who changed stations or were temporarily assigned were mandated to have HIV tests that had to return negative results within a six-month timeframe. Those who were transferred from international postings were also required to undergo similar testing. Additionally, the spouses of Antarctic support programme staff were tested, while civilian staff members were given the choice to participate in the screenings, which most chose to accept. All naval personnel received HIV/AIDS tests as part of their annual medical examinations. Furthermore, the United States military had implemented a comprehensive AIDS screening programme across both domestic and overseas personnel, initiated by the Defence Department. The State Department acknowledged that some U.S. military personnel may have been exposed to the virus, attributing this to its prevalence in the general population. To mitigate the risk of spreading AIDS within the military and externally, the Defence Department introduced measures to identify personnel who had encountered the virus, ensuring they do not serve in foreign assignments. Additionally, all applicants seeking military service are screened for AIDS, with those exposed to the virus being disqualified from acceptance.
Important Information
The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact
The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand