United States of America - No go for HIV+ individuals

Since 1987, the United States has imposed a travel ban on HIV-infected individuals entering the country as visitors or immigrants on the absurd premise that HIV appears on their list of “dangerous and contagious” diseases which present a public health risk.

The law specifically prohibits foreigners from immigrating or obtaining a travel visa to the United States. On July 30, 2008, President Bush (Yeah Bush of all people!)signed into law a five-year, $48 billion (£32.5 billion)bill to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world as well as to lift the ban on HIV+ travelers entering the USA.

However, the ban has still not actually been lifted and HIV/AIDS activists, who at first praising the Bush administration are becoming frustrated and impatient for an actual removal of the ban.

HIV/AIDS activists originally declared the ban to be unnecessary and unfair. The ban itself was not written into US law until 1993, during the Clinton Administration. This legislation made HIV the only specific medical condition mentioned as grounds for inadmissibility to the US. Activists have long argued that the ban was just another in a long string on US inconsistencies on HIV/AIDS policy. Many HIV professionals stated that the ban was not consistent with the international leadership role the United States has taken with PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief). Experts at the International AIDS conference last Autumn were full of praise for the new legislation on lifting the travel ban. However, since then very little has been done to actually lift the ban. Apparently, in order to do so, the Department of Health and Human Services must write a new rule, submit it for public comment, and finalise it. At the end of his tenure as President, some 58 Democrats submitted a letter to President Bush urging “swift action” on the issue.

Due to the ban, no major AIDS conference has been held on US soil since 1993 as no activists or researchers infected with the virus may enter the country without embarking on a complicated waiver process.

I was reading that in 1991, some 40,000 Haitian political refugees fled to the US. Of these refugees, 158 were detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba due to the HIV ban. For nearly twenty months, Guantanamo Bay hosted these 158 political refugees, due to either being HIV-positive, or a relative of one of the positive refugees.

Despite the fact Bush had signed the bill mandating removal of the ban into law, HIV remains on the list of “dangerous and contagious” diseases that may prevent entry into the United States. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security released a revised and “streamlined” process for obtaining a waiver, making it easier to obtain the necessary visa for postive indiviuals to enter the US. However, the Department of Heath and Human Services has still not removed HIV from the list of medical conditions which are grounds for exclusion from entering the country.

A study conducted in 2006 showed that of 1113 HIV positive survey respondents. 349 (31%) had traveled to the United States. Of those 349 that had traveled to the US, only 14.3% traveled with the mandatory waiver to obtain a travel visa. Many simply did not disclose their status. This study not only shows the inefficacy of the travel ban, but shows the harm presented to HIV+ individuals who desire to visit the United States. The study showed that patients on anti-retroviral therapy (212 patients) were more likely to go off their medication, increasing their chances of developing drug-resistant HIV strains or developing AIDS.

There are other countries around the world that, along with the US, maintain an archaic travel ban on people living with HIV. These countries are: Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Moldova, Russia, Armenia, and South Korea.

Given it's standing in the World should the United States still include itself amongst these countries in discriminating against people living with HIV?

We can just hope that the newly elected Obama Administration will take this somewhat contentsion bull by the horns and end the uneccessary discrimination of HIV+ people wishing to visit the USA.

At the risk of highjacking the Obama sound bite that helped him ride the crest of a wave to his historic victory - It's time for change! It is also time for hope. A hope that so many have in Barack Obama and his first term in office.

Damn! It's been a while part two! (A message from the HAART)

OK, time to pick up where I left off!

You may recall me ruminating over the pros and cons of my medication for the HIV. Well back in October 2007 I started my regime of HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment) medication with some trepidation! I was dreading the anticipated side-effects as well as the burden of adhereance!

Well I am pleased to say none of my fears came to pass! I had (and have had) no noteable side-effects from the drugs and the adhereance as now become a part of my daily routine! Best of all the medication reached the first goal of treatment, an undectableable viral load (VL) within 2 months! When I started my VL was around 2000 pm/pml so to get it down to below 50pm/pml in such a short time was fantastic! My CD4 count is taking a little longer to recover however. Currently I am sat around the 385 mark. This is an improvement from the 285 when I started but that increase has taken just under a year to achieve.

Don't get me wrong, I was not expecting any miracles from the meds so I am more than pleased with the numbers so far. It only bodes well for the future if you ask me (",)

I have to say that very first night, when my alarm went off at 9pm and I poured my glass of juice for me to take the drugs with was an odd occassion! I was suddenly hit by the fact that this is now my life, for the rest of my life! I will be doing the very same thing at the very same time every night at 9pm! It was quite odd the have that certainty there right in front of me!

Is knowledge power?

Good evening!


Been doing a bit of reading with regards to Anti-HIV treatments. There is a lot of information out there! However, I feel compelled to read at the moment, I mean I am going to have to start taking these drugs at some point in the future so I am going to want to know as much as possible. Aren't I?

If I am honest, the more I read, I am not too sure! For every positive I read there is always a scary negative, usually concerning some undesireable side effect. Now there are a lot of reports into how Anti-HIV drugs, when taken at the right time and with a near religious adherance, can allow a person living with HIV to have a near normal life-span. So what do you do!? OK, so the drugs, when needed are going to be the life-saver, the prolonger of life. However this still does not stop you approaching them with some trepidation! This is why I ask is knowledge actually power?

We have pals who are HIV positive too and they have said that try to steer clear of reading about the drugs. After reading what I have (and this is only the tip of the iceberg!) I am inclined to agree!

Mentally, I am prepared for the Anti-HIV treatment; I think only a fool would not be, but there are still those niggeling little doubts. How will I cope with the side-effects when you have to be so committed to your treatment? Its not like having an odd reaction to a parecetamol! Chopping and changing the Anti-HIV traetments can help the HIV build resistance to the drugs and when that starts to happen the goal of an undetectable Viral Load slips further away.

From our discussions with the Doctor at the clinic along with some of the stuff I have read, you can also take drugs to combat the side effects - I guess that is some comfort to the 'mind-fuck'! I am just scared I am going to rattle just as much as the pill box I will have to carry!!!!!!

Looks like 'His Knibbs' and me have a huge journey ahead of us!