HIV Travel Ban Lifted

HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

HIV infects and gradually destroys an infected person's immune system, reducing their protection against infection and cancers.

AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

It is not a single disease or condition. It's a term that describes the point when a person’s immune system can no longer cope because of the damage caused by HIV and they start to get one or more specific illnesses. A misconceived perception is that people actually die from AIDS but infact they actually die from the cancers, pneumonia or other conditions that may take hold when their immune system has been weakened by HIV. They don't actually die solely because of AIDS.

I read an article in NewScientist magazine titled 'US Lifts HIV Travel Ban' and I couldn't believe what I was reading. The article went on to say that President Obama has lifted a ban that excluded visitors living with HIV from visiting, staying or gaining residence in the United States of America. This ban has been in power for 22 years - over two decades!! - and will only be lifted next year. Throughout the world other countries also impose this HIV ban including China, South Korea and Ukraine, all of which are being urged to follow in Obama's footsteps.

In some ways I can see why these countries have imposed this ban, in a way protecting their people from transmission but at the same time nothing can condone human exclusion and this high level of discrimination. Not only does it clearly violate both human rights and public health needs, in my eyes it is a ban that should never have been in power in the first place, anywhere. HIV/AIDS is without a doubt an awful thing to have to go through and simply because someone has to suffer from this, does not mean that they should also have to under go the process of social rejection from whole countries. In my eyes this ban is a total disgrace and I just could not believe that such a regulation was in place in our world.