July 1, 2009
AIDS Alliance Praises Obama Administration for Proposal to lift HIV Entry Ban
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Washington, DC – AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families praises President Obama and his Administration for undertaking the final steps to repeal the policy banning foreign HIV-positive persons from entering the United States. Tomorrow, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will publish notice that it intends to repeal the HIV travel and immigrant ban.
"AIDS Alliance applauds the Obama Administration for proposing to lift the HIV entry ban which was an embarrassment for too long," stated Carole Treston, Executive Director. "It had no basis in public health science and did nothing to prevent the spread of HIV in the U.S. It only served to contribute to stigma and diminish our efforts in the international HIV community."
In 1993, Congress permanently listed HIV in the Immigration and Nationality Act as a disease barring entry into the United States, the only disease listed in specifically in statue. The Congressional ban was lifted during United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. However, the federal government still needed to take the added step of removing from regulation HIV as a communicable disease of public health significance that merits prohibiting persons from entering the United States.
The proposed rule change states: "While HIV infection is a serious health condition, it does not represent a communicable disease that is a significant threat for introduction, transmission, and spread to the United States population through casual contact. An arriving alien with HIV infection does not pose a public health risk to the general population through casual contact. These changes reflect current scientific knowledge and public health best practices and will have the benefit of removing stigmatization of and discrimination against people who are HIV infected." A copy of the proposed rule can be found at: http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-15814_PI.pdf The Center for Disease Control (CDC) will be accepting comments on the proposed rule for the next 45 days.
"AIDS Alliance and our members look forward to examining the CDC's proposed rule and submitting comments. We praise our federal and local partners for their hard work which led to this draft regulation. Hopefully, this is the next step in ensuring that the United States hosts an International AIDS Conference again in the near future." Treston added.
The International AIDS Society recently announced they would like to hold the 2012 conference in Washington, DC. This honor would highlight the impact of both the domestic and global epidemics. Despite great leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the U.S. has not hosted the International AIDS Conference since 1990.
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Founded in 1994, AACYF is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the partnership between consumers and providers – we are the voice of women, children, youth and families living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. AACYF works to enhance and expand access to quality, comprehensive, family-centered care to America's children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS, as it represents the nation's network of over 650 Ryan White Part D funded community-based organizations. Part D programs serve over 53,000 HIV-affected women, children, youth and families through sites located in 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
