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Military suffers weekly AIDS losses

    JOHANNESBURG

    Kenya's Department of Defence has expressed concern over the impact of HIV/AIDS on its forces, local newspaper the East African Standard reported on Thursday.

    The defence forces' AIDS Control Unit (ACU) estimates that six to ten soldiers die each week of AIDS-related illnesses.

    "The military has suffered greatly because of HIV/AIDS. The loss of continuity at command level has increased the cost of recruitment and training of replacements," vice chief of general staff, Lt-Gen John Koech, said.

    Koech said the HIV/AIDS pandemic had put the armed forces among the country's most vulnerable groups.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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