HIV Positive - Life and Career Impacts

[Captain_X]

Hi all,

  I have one important question to ask.  I am a relatively new Captain (about 3 yrs) and there is a member of the CF who came to me and confided that he just found out that he is HIV Positive!  He and his wife are struggling with the news.  He found out through a civilian anonymous testing site in his region.

  I know the member because he worked for me for a short while and because our wives are very good friends.  He confided this to me because he does not know what to do next and he is scared of what will happen to him personally and professionally.  Nowadays, HIV positive people can remain healthy for 10-15 years before developing AIDS symptoms.

  I have already made sure that he and his wife are receiving care and counselling through the agency that provided the anonymous testing.

  I also plan on convincing him to go see a CF doctor soonest so that he can start his treatment to help him from delaying the onset of AIDS.  I know that he will contact the CF doctors soon, if for anything, to prolong his life.

  However, before I can sit down with him to discuss this particular issue, I'd like to know if anyone knows what happens to members who are diagnosed HIV positive.  Are they medically released?  Will the CF drop them like a hot potato?  The member has 16 years in, will he be allowed to finish his contract?  Will there be restrictions on his career?  Who will know beside the medical staff that he is HIV positive?  Will his CO be informed the minute he contacts the MIR?  Whatabout when his treatment start, who will know?

  Also, any personal experience of this happening in your unit/community?  There are still a lot of fear/Misunderstanding toward HIV positive people.  I will admit that even myself don't feel to comfortable with it and am a little scared altough I quickly brushed up on my knowledge of HIV/AIDS. 

Obviously I am taking this channel because I am a little worried of what would happen if I started asking my peers and my superiors these questions.  I do not want to have this member thrown into having to disclose this information in a setting that would be confrontational for him.  I'll make sure he gets the help he needs soonest but I'd rather see him do it in his own terms and at the moment of his choosing.

  I am not starting this thread to get a discussion started on individual sexual, drug, and other bad habits.  The fact is that whatever caused his HIV (Drugs, tattooing, swingers party or whatever) are not the issue here.  He is already paying dearly and a lecture won't help one bit.  What I am looking for is hard info on what happens to a member who becomes infected by HIV.  Please try to stick to this particular issue in your response. 

Anyone has had experience with this?

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

FOLKS,

LETS KEEP THIS PROFESSIONAL.

THANKS

 

[Synthos]

Might depend on his trade.

Mates of his may feel very insecure about the possibility of being infected accidentally during treatment of an injury. (Again this is pretty dependant on his trade some are more likely to be hurt than others). However, this is a reason we include surgical gloves and face masks in all (decent) medical kits.

This is if he isn't dropped like a hot potato

 

[medicineman]

PM inbound.

MM

 

[North Star]

Doesn't this make him non-deployable - ei his G and O factors go to 3? They must in order to protect his comrades and himself (he needs medical attention). You don't always have time in the field to put on your gloves and avoid exposure to blood...

I'd refer the soldier to the Medical system, and I'm sure MM will give you good advice.

 

[MedCorps]

This is messy....

Before I start off, there are current members of the CF that are HIV positive, and under the care of the Canadian Forces Health Service.  Some of these people are serving in operational units right now as we speak.  There are more people in the CF that are HIV positive, and do not know it... and you could be working with them right now.  I also suspect there are some people in the CF who are HIV positive, know it from 3rd party (non-CFHS) testing and have opted to take the risk and not report it.   

If I were you, I would call and make an appointment with the Senior Medical Officer in your chain of command.  If you need help finding this person, PM me, and we can sort something out where you need not identify the member, or yourself to me.  When speaking with the SNO he is required to maintain confidentiality.  I would still pose the questions to him re: career implications for the soldier to him in a hypothetical manner, without the identification of the solider... just to be sure.  It is possible (but unlikely) that you could be legally ordered to identify the soldier.  This order is more likely from a non-medical services officer if they find out than a medical services officer for whom you meet with.  If you are ordered to identify the soldier, you should see advice from the JAG to confirm that it is a lawful order.   

Here is where things get messy...

The soldier has the requirement, by law, to report his condition to the Canadian Forces Medical System. It looks like this:

QR&O 19.18

19.18 – CONCEALMENT OF DISEASE

An officer or non-commissioned member who is suffering or suspects he is suffering from a disease shall without delay report himself sick.

He has put you in a hard situation by telling you of his disease.  You might also have the obligation to report him, if he does not report his disease.  If you do not you may have broken the law.  You do not need to report the nature of the disease (although it may come out in the laundry), but just mearly the fact thas he has violated QR&O 19.18  It looks like this: QR&O 4.02

4.02 – GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICERS

An officer shall:

(e) report to the proper authority any infringement of the pertinent statutes, regulations, rules, orders and instructions governing the conduct of any person subject to the Code of Service Discipline when the officer cannot deal adequately with the matter.

This QR&O might not apply to you, if you are in a medical/dental trade where you are licenced by a professional body (read: MO, NO, SWO, PTO, Pharm O, Dent O), a Legal Officer or Padre.  If this is the case you need to seek guidance from your PROFTECHNET and/or the JAG Officer assigned to support you. 

I wish you luck.  This is not going to be easy, not matter how you look at it. 

If you need anything else, please feel free to PM me.

Cheers,

MC