HIV and the United States...

[Man Of Kent]

THanks to EastEnders (of all programmes) public attention has been draw to the fact that you are unable to get a visa for the US, if you admit to being HIV+.

Is this a sad endictment on the US govts approach to HIV, or is it a issue of protecting the US citizens?

[Balddog]

Its a sensible precaution.

I refuse to watch eastenders so i dont know what the thing was....Were they trying to apply for permanant visa or just a tourist thing?

Permanant visa...The US has a very large HIV problem already, why import more people who are affected? Its hard enough getting into the US when youre perfectly healthy so its nothing special.

Holiday visa...Well again thats just a sensible precaution. The authorities have no control over tourists, they have no idea where they will go or what they will do.

[Kentish]

I didn't know that. It does sound a bit unfair - I don't really know why they'd single out HIV....AIDS is/was a big scare in the US though, so I suppose it was the immigration service bowing to public pressure.

A case for the European Court of Human Rights if ever I saw one <IMG SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">.

[DevilMan]

Originally posted by Kentish:
<STRONG>I didn't know that. It does sound a bit unfair - I don't really know why they'd single out HIV....AIDS is/was a big scare in the US though, so I suppose it was the immigration service bowing to public pressure.

Immigration is beleived to have helped allow AIDS into the US - stopping AIDS imports is sensible to the effect that it may help albiet in a minor way, stem the spread. Personally, Im for bringing back Ellis Island to screen out all potential problems - this extends beyond disease but to potential troublemakers as well.


A case for the European Court of Human Rights if ever I saw one <IMG SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">.</STRONG>


Yeah, a court which has absolutely no bearing on US policy. <IMG SRC="mad.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">

[Man Of Kent]

Originally posted by Kentish:
<STRONG>A case for the European Court of Human Rights if ever I saw one <IMG SRC="biggrin.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">.</STRONG>

Not sure how they could help...?

[Kentish]

Originally posted by DevilMan:
<STRONG>Yeah, a court which has absolutely no bearing on US policy. <IMG SRC="mad.gif" border="0" ALT="icon"></STRONG>
Easy tiger. Who rattled your cage? <IMG SRC="eek.gif" border="0" ALT="icon">
Originally posted by Man Of Kent:
<STRONG>Not sure how they could help...?</STRONG>
No they couldn't, not in this case, but that's the kind of thing I could imagine them poking their nose into if it was a European country involved.

So what's your view on this, MoK? Should he be allowed a visa?

[Lanni]

As far as I know, the U.S. has been testing peoples' health before granting visas for a long while. Now along with TB and what not, HIV has been added to the list.

[Man Of Kent]

Originally posted by Kentish:
<STRONG>[/qb]
So what's your view on this, MoK? Should he be allowed a visa?</STRONG>

Tough one. I thought I was gonna get splinters from sitting on the fence here.

But it's a public health issue, do you want people bring infectious dieases into this country, even those we already have?

How did FMD start, not locally...how did HIV get here in the first place...

That said, the words 'barn door' and 'horse bloted' did spring to mind.

[Toadborg]

It seems rather unfair, if that policy were applied rigorusly then the UK would have real difficulty ever exporting any livestock

[Diesel]

The only country that is intelligently tackeling the HIV/AIDS situation is little Cuba...imagine that; total and humane quarentine of infected individuals in a community setting.

In the past our US Indian tribes shunned one another for various reasons...with exceptions of course, but the effect was that they did not spread shared diseases among one another.

The islamics appear to be the only socio/political/religious group that is not suffering from this pantagion...directly related to their 'sexual' customs I suppose though I suspect that if it once gets staretd there will be quite a spread because of accepted gender identity challenges!

[Thanatos...AGAIN]

Originally posted by Diesel:
<STRONG>The only country that is intelligently tackeling the HIV/AIDS situation is little Cuba...imagine that; total and humane quarentine of infected individuals in a community setting...</STRONG>
Fifteen years ago, I advocated the creation of a modern-day Molokai, perhaps 200 miles west of Cheyenne. Quarantine of the contagium was apparently offensive to the gentle sensitivities of the politically correct. Extinction of the species was preferable...