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AIDS campaign threatened

In a what was reported as a major setback for AIDS control in Swaziland, the House of Assembly has thrown out a proposed Public Health Bill on the pretext that further consultation was needed, 'Business Day' newspaper said on Wednesday. Privately, some members of parliament admitted they were personally put off by the bill's proposal that the immediate families of AIDS sufferers be notified that they have contracted the virus. Health and Social Welfare Minister Phetsile Dlamini said because AIDS patients did not divulge their condition, sexual partners are put at risk and families waste money seeking treatment for the undisclosed malady. The legislation was 10 years in the making and resulted from extensive consultation with doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and even traditional healers, the paper reported.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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