HIV Travel Ban to US May Be Lifted

Tagged: HIV, Travel, Travel ban, USA, Visa

HIV-positive foreigners may be allowed to immigrate and travel to the US once the travel ban against them is lifted. The ban, which prevents foreigners who are known to have HIV from travelling to the country, was implemented

22 years ago in 1987.

The lifting of the ban should help end the stigma against those who are HIV-positive. The ban was implemented at a time when not a lot of information were available regarding the disease and it was thought that HIV was transmitted even through casual contact. Today, it is known that entry to the US per se of an HIV-positive person already constitutes as risking the public’s health.

The officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are seeking the public opinion regarding the planned lifting of the ban. According to Dr. Michael Saag, there is “no scientific or public rationale” for still keeping HIV in the list.

The lifting of the ban will result in the removal of HIV from the list of diseases that can result in the barring of a traveler from entering the US. Once the ban is lifted, those who wish to make the US their permanent residence will no longer be required to take the mandatory HIV tests.

Aside from HIV, there is a ban on people with the following diseases: tuberculosis, infectious leprosy, infectious gonorrhea, and syphilis. There are also other sexually transmitted diseases that are included in the ban list.

Today aside from the spread of the disease some groups are concerned about the lifting of the ban because of the tremendous health care cost associated with the disease.