Can you join the military with an std

Get tested. Ask you partner to get tested. And get treated, if needed. Get vaccinated. There are three vaccines that can protect against viruses that can be sexually transmitted— hepatitis A , hepatitis B , and HPV. Most members of the military receive recommended vaccines during basic training and before deployment, and you may already received these vaccines. But maybe not, so check. And HPV is thought to cause nearly 35, cases of cancer each year.

So vaccination is cancer prevention. Resources for Service Members Check out these resources, both from the military and other sources, to find reliable information on sexual health and STI prevention.

Army Public Health: Sexual Health for Women Includes information on contraception, menstruation, and reproductive health, as well as common vaginal infections. National Sexual Health Coalition Not military-specific, but a great resource for taking charge of your sexual health.

It outlines five action steps you can take to achieve good sexual health. 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. Ulceration, varices, fistula, achalasia, or other dysmotility disorders; chronic or recurrent esophagitis if confirmed by appropriate X-ray or endoscopic examination.

Condition, to include Meckel's diverticulum or functional abnormalities, persisting or symptomatic within the past two years. Gastrointestinal bleeding. History of, unless the cause has been corrected, and is not otherwise disqualifying. Individuals who are known to have tested positive for hepatitis C virus HCV infection require confirmatory testing.

If positive, individuals should be clinically evaluated for objective evidence of liver function impairment. If evaluation reveals no signs or symptoms of disease, the applicant meets the standards. Cholecystectomy is not disqualifying 60 days postsurgery or 30 days post-laproscopic surgery , providing there are no disqualifying residuals from treatment. Any hereditary acquired, aplastic or unspecified anemia that has not been corrected permanently with therapy. Hemorrhagic disorders.

Any congenital or acquired tendency to bleed due to a platelet or coagulation disorder. Diseases of the jaw or associated tissues that are not easily remediable, and will incapacitate the individual or otherwise prevent the satisfactory performance of duty. Severe malocclusion that interferes with normal mastication or requires early and protracted treatment; or relationship between mandible and maxilla that prevents satisfactory future prosthodontic replacement.

Insufficient natural healthy teeth or lack of a serviceable prosthesis, preventing adequate mastication and incision of a normal diet. This includes complex multiple fixture dental implant systems that have associated complications that severely limit assignments and adversely affect performance of worldwide duty.

Dental implant systems must be successfully osseointegrated and completed. Orthodontic appliances for continued treatment attached or removable. Retainer appliances are permissible, provided all active orthodontic treatment has been completed satisfactorily. External ear. Atresia or severe microtia, acquired stenosis, severe chronic or acute otitis externa, or severe traumatic deformity. Mastoiditis, residual of mastoid operation with fistula, or marked external deformity that prevents or interferes with wearing a protective mask or helmet.

Middle and inner ear. Acute or chronic otitis media, cholesteatoma, or history of any inner or middle ear surgery excluding myringotomy or successful tympanoplasty. Tympanic membrane. Any perforation of the tympanic membrane, or surgery to correct perforation within days of examination.

Persistent, when associated with impaired glucose tolerance or renal tubular defects. 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.

Limitation of motion. An individual will be considered unacceptable if the joint range of motion is less than the measurements listed below. An individual will be considered unacceptable if the joint ranges of motion are less that the measurements listed below. This includes hallux valgus.

History of uncorrected anterior or posterior cruciate ligament injury. Chronic Retropatellar Knee Pain Syndrome with or without confirmatory arthroscopic evaluation. Dislocation if unreduced, or recurrent dislocations of any major joint such as shoulder, hip, elbow or knee; or instability of any major joint such as shoulder, elbow or hip.

Injury of a bone or joint of more than a minor nature, with or without fracture or dislocation, that occurred within the preceding six weeks: upper extremity, lower extremity, ribs and clavicle.

Muscular paralysis, contracture or atrophy, if progressive or of sufficient degree to interfere with military service and muscular dystrophies. Scars, extensive, deep or adherent to the skin and soft tissues that interfere with muscular movements. Laser surgery or appliance utilized to reconfigure the cornea also is disqualifying. Meridian-specific visual field minimums are as follows:. Distant visual acuity of any degree that does not correct with spectacle lenses to at least one of the following:.

Communications and intelligence specialists, alongside transportation and health care occupations, displayed the highest rates of genital herpes. Service members under the age of 24 were found to be the most likely to contract an STI, accounting for almost 64 percent of observed cases. An HPV infection, for instance, can cause cervical cancer and congenital infections years later, according to the National Cancer Institute.

While chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infection rates increased during the period of the study, HPV and genital herpes declined in frequency. According to the study, this could be in part due to the prevalence of the HPV vaccine, which has been available for more than a decade now.

The Health Related Behaviors Survey, the most recent DoD survey of sexual behaviors available, found that in the past year Men and women had no significant statistical differences on these behaviors.

To limit the spread of STIs, the Military Health System and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend limiting anonymous sexual encounters, avoiding unprotected sex of any form, limiting number of sexual partners, and not having sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

MHS also advises service members not to assume it will be obvious whether or not their partner has an STI. Incidence rates of chlamydia per 10, active duty service members from Graph from Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. Military cases of chlamydia, however, increased by 64 percent between and Robert A. Woods , the U. Court of Military Appeals held the transmission of HIV then known as Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus 3 violated the General Article of the UCMJ Article , when a service member "engaged in sexual intercourse with another, knowing that to do so without protection was an 'inherently dangerous' act likely leading to 'death or great bodily harm.

Obviously, engaging in sexual intercourse with another when the transmitting partner knows he or she has HIV will always be found to be prejudicial to good order and discipline because of the health risks involved. HIV-infected service members need to know that they could be committing an assault offense even if they use protection and their partners do not test positive for the STD.

For example, the appellant in U. Erica L. Hurts , an HIV-infected Army private, was convicted of, among other things, six specifications of assault with a means likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm.