Washington Post examines HIV/AIDS rights, responsibilities questions

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Sep 14 2009

The Washington Post examines how African countries are "grappling with debates over what rights and duties to give those living with [HIV/AIDS] -- a growing segment of the population that remains largely hidden." The newspaper writes: "Across the continent, lawmakers are considering whether to make criminals of those who infect others with HIV, allow bosses to test workers for the virus, punish women who pass it to their babies and give constitutional protections to those with HIV."

The Washington Post reports that policies protecting the rights of people who are living with HIV/AIDS have "generally been favored by officials in African nations," but "those officials also face pressure to protect the uninfected."

To illustrate some of the issues involved, the Washington Post highlights a pending court case involving two Zambian airmen who say the military did not tell them they were tested for HIV and unfairly discharged them. They claim this violated "their rights to privacy and protection from inhumane and degrading treatment," and want their military jobs back (Brulliard, 9/12).

This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

Posted in: Healthcare News

Tags: AIDS, HIV, HIV/AIDS, HIV-1, Virology, Virus

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End the discrimination of HIV positive people

David Hempster says:

September 14, 2009 at 12:56 PM

Some people say it is the fault of HIV positive people to be infected. Myabe they did not take enough precautions. That I can kind of live with. But then they say that HIV Positive people need to take full responsibility for transmission of the virus and this just not seem to add up. So which one is it. Do we take full responsibility for transmission (to others). Then the person who transmitted it to me is their fault right. as long as we blame others we will never come to terms with the HIV pandemic. There will always be a section of the population who are HIV positive and do not wish to be tested. In different countries, the percentage is different. In the UK, where medications are largely avaialbe and free on the NHS, there is still one third that remain undiagnosed. in Africa this percentage is a lot higher. It did stand at 80% but is coming down. Any laws which criminialise transmission of HIV will make more people scared and anxious to be tested and laws which discriminate against people with HIV - work, sexual relations will result in less people willing to be tested and the virus to spread even more unchecked. I think I am correct ont he point that Bulgaria introduced a law that one cannot be held responsibile for transmitting HIV and they now have one of the lowest HIV infection rates in the world. No one will protect them and people know that it is their responsibility to practise safe sex. Is this not the message we wish to get across?

HIv is in fact not a easy transmittable virus (something which makes stigma even higher) since those infected are now seen to having deserved it. But with condoms and succesful virological treatment it is near impossible to transmit HIV, and as long as this remains the case (low viral loads) then people have little to worry about. But we HIV positive people always are fighting the same battle. Pushing the same boulder up the hill if we don't have enough to contend with. sometimes poor health and getting back into employment. We now have to also deal with massive discrimination, ignoarance and stigma and frankly do not wish to know.

When will the discrimination end...!!??? when will be accepted back into society? When will people understand the risks? When will they become more knowledgeable? When will they read more? When will they understand the science...?? And when will lawmakers make laws which help people to protect themselves rather than laws that promote ignorance? If laws are passed to criminalise HIV transmission, it will make people less likely to test, as a way of defence that they never knew.

David Hempster aka ML

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