British armed forces to allow people with HIV to enlist

FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at an event to thank the UK armed forces for their role in the Afghanistan evacuation operation earlier this year, in London, Britain, November 24, 2021. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain plans to allow people who have tested positive for HIV to join the armed forces if they no longer carry a detectable amount of the virus, its defence ministry said on Wednesday.

Military personnel who become infected with HIV after enlistment can already remain in the armed forces - though they are classed as not fully fit, a categorisation which the defence ministry said it planned to change too.