Wars and XXXX in the Indian Army.

@entity167 @entity281 @entity1 @entity2953
A large majority of the world's soldiers are young, away from home, of low rank, and of low educational level. Many consume large quantities of @entity167 and other drugs to cope. This combination of factors leads many soldiers to have sex with prostitutes and other casual partners, placing them at high risk of contracting and transmitting @entity2953 . The worldwide incidence of STD for the US Army in 1978 was 98 per 1000 soldiers. The authors reviewed the records of STD cases treated in the Indian armed forces during the period 1938-78 to find that there was a decline in @entity2953 in the Indian Army from 5.22 per 1000 in 1895 to 2.12 per 1000 in 1978. There was, however, an increase in the incidence of STD during war in the Indian Army, albeit marginal compared to global figures. The incidence of STD in the Indian Armed Forces has been much lower than in any other country. Chancroid was the most common STD, affecting most commonly soldiers aged 21-30 years. Prostitutes remained the most common source of @entity281 . Better education appears to decrease the incidence of @entity281 , there was no homosexuality recorded, marital status had little impact upon the risk of contracting STD, prophylactic measures were taken by only 6% of individuals, and 5% of infected soldiers in 1965 and 7% in 1971 were repeat @entity1 . 60% of the @entity1 contracted their STD while on leave just prior to entering the theater of war. The rapid expansion of armed forces which results in relaxed recruiting standards, individual separation from sources of moral influence, the lack of disciplinary and moral control by superiors, the uncertainty of survival, emotional strains, illiteracy, and the lack of adequate recreational facilities support the increased incidence of STD during war. Reasons for the comparatively low incidence of STD among Indian soldiers include good management and discipline, religious faith, social customs, fear of social stigmatization upon contracting STD, close surveillance by military police of soldiers' movements, limited @entity167 and drug consumption, patriotic motivation to be as physically and mentally strong as possible for combat, regular medical check-ups, and racial factors.
