Can you stay in military (navy) boot camp after the PPD test or TB skin test turned positive and train?

They will keep you in the military. I was a Preventive Medicine Technician/Corpsman in the Navy. I worked with TB control program often.

No, you are not kicked out for having a positive skin test. This just means that you were exposed to TB at some time in your life.

Also there are people from other countries who take a vaccine called BCG and that will make them have a positive reaction. Many countries in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe use the BCG to prevent TB. We don't use it here.

If you have tested positive before and have Xrays..take that with you to MEPS. Get a document from your doctor and get what they call an Xray report. You can take that with you to boot camp and they most likely won't do the PPD again. You will always test positive. If you have already taken medication for it get documentation that you had treatment and take that with you.

If you do not have proof that you took it before you will start INH (the drug to prevent TB) all over again.

A positive TB test does not limit you from training unless you actually have active TB and then you will be in a hospital and they will decide from there.

You can take prescription medications in boot camp. They have to be issued by a military doctor, but people take all sorts of medications during training.

If you test comes back positive, it only means you have been exposed. X-rays will be continual to monitor you. In regards to being discharged at Boot, I do not know, I do know that active duty service members who have tested positive do not get discharged on that test alone, but some have had to change MOS/Rates.

Some people just always have a positive reaction to the skin test. That's why the next step is the chest xray.

Nope..you (or your "friend") will be fine.