Lifting of US HIV travel ban welcomed 

Source: ONE News

The United States has lifted a ban on HIV-positive individuals entering the country, a move warmly welcomed by the New Zealand Aids Foundation.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act was signed in the US last week, lifting a ban on HIV-positive people from entering the States.

President Barack Obama described the 22-year-old ban on travel and immigration as "rooted in fear rather than fact".

"The NZ Aids Foundation is delighted at the decision to lift the ban, which has been a long time coming," said executive director Rachael Le Mesurier.

"This travel restriction has widely contributed to ongoing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.

"With it lifted, New Zealanders living with HIV are free to travel to the US with their partners, friends, family and whanau."

This year the foundation lobbied the Center for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the ban, asserting that protecting the human rights and dignity of people living with HIV led to the most effective response to the epidemic.

Lifting the restrictions on HIV-positive individuals from travelling, staying and residing in the US would return the position of the US as a leader in human rights and unite the US with other nations in the global fight against Aids, the foundation said.

In 2005, New Zealand introduced mandatory HIV testing for people applying for residency and for visas for longer than 12 months.

Le Mesurier said the foundation understood that currently people living with HIV who are staying here for less than 12 months did not need to declare, or undergo a test for, their HIV status.

However, Immigration New Zealand can request a certified HIV test from seasonal employment visa applicants from countries with a high prevalence of HIV.