Australia Prime Minister John Howard has come under fire from local and international AIDS researchers for proposing that HIV-positive people be banned from moving to the country.Howard, who is facing an election later this year, said twice in recent weeks that he'd like to prevent HIV-positive people from immigrating. On June 1, he told an Australian radio station he was going to review existing policies, saying: "My view is the best result is that no one with those sort of ailments is allowed into the country." But leading researchers who met today (June 7) in Melbourne said banning HIV+ people from immigrating would have minimal impact on the disease in Australia. "We don't believe this is a key issue in the epidemic," said Andrew Grulich, from the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. "The trends are very largely driven by local transmission among gay men born...
most countries require testing for long-term residentsqualify for specific waiversCraig McCluredecided to move the Eighth International AIDS ConferenceAustralian Federation of AIDS Organizations, said that most people who are granted medical exemptions are family members of people already living in Australia. "The people who will really be affected by a change in policy are the [overseas] husbands and wives and partners of Australian citizens," he told The Scientist.Walshe told The Scientist that Howard and members of his ministerial Cabinet would discuss the topic in the next week or two. In the meantime, she said, "we are seeking out formal advice from within the department and will review what emerges." From the beginning of the AIDS epidemic until the end of September 2006--the most recent date for which figures are available--Australia had recorded 23,065 diagnoses of HIVmail@the-scientist.comThe Scientisthttp://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/23586/ABC Newshttp://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1896267.htmhttp://notes.med.unsw.edu.auhttp://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1230.htmlhttp://www.uscis.gov/propub/ProPubVAP.jsp?dockey=cb90c19a50729fb47fb0686648558dbehttp://www.iasociety.org/Web/WebContent/File/Statement%20-%20Australian%20immigration%20-%201%20june%202007.pdfHarvard Crimsonhttp://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=226550http://www.afao.org.auhttp://web.med.unsw.edu.au/nchecr/Downloads/Jan07SurvRep.pdf
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