IRIN PlusNews HIV/AIDS Briefs, 30 August 2001

SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS to be discussed at World Conference Against Racism ZIMBABWE: Health minister rules out mandatory HIV/AIDS tests SOUTH AFRICA: HIV/AIDS to be discussed at World Conference Against Racism HIV/AIDS will be highlighted as a source of discrimination at the World Conference Against Racism which begins in Durban, South Africa, on Friday. According to a UNAIDS briefing note, issues relating to HIV/AIDS will be discussed at various forums, including the draft declaration and at a panel event which will explore the link between HIV/AIDS, stigma, discrimination and racism. Sections of the draft declaration to be discussed and adopted at the conference recognise that HIV-positive individuals may “suffer multiple or aggravated discrimination” because of their infection. The draft declaration also notes that in many countries, people infected with HIV/AIDS belong to groups that are vulnerable to racism, negatively impacting on their access to health care and medication. It also calls for nations to “promote and protect the human rights” of HIV-positive individuals and to “take concrete measures” to combat discrimination against those with HIV/AIDS. The action plan also urges governments and private organisations to adopt and implement policies and programmes to increase access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Next week, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot will hold a press conference to release the “UNAIDS Compendium on Discrimination, Stigma and Denial” - results of studies conducted in India and Uganda relating to these issues. For more on HIV/AIDS related events at the conference: http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/conferences/racism2001/HIVAIDSevents.doc Invitation for HIV/AIDS related reports on the World Conference Against Racism AF-AIDS members who are attending the World Conference Against Racism are invited to send reports to the forum. Members can send reports on HIV-related sessions/meetings/events; impressions of the proceedings; and perhaps an interesting discussion or interview with a panellist or another participant at the conference. If you would like more ideas on what kinds of reports you can submit, please send a message so that you can be sent some key correspondent writing pointers. To submit a posting, send to this address: [email protected]. For information on HIV-related events, including a letter from Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Secretary-General of the World Conference against Racism, on the panel event: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/racism/01-hiv.html ZIMBABWE: Health minister rules out compulsory HIV/AIDS tests Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Timothy Stamps, has turned down a call by the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) to introduce compulsory HIV/AIDS testing of all patients, the ‘Daily News’ reported on Thursday. In an interview with the newspaper Stamps said it was possible that affected people would prefer to die at home without knowing their status. “This radical call for mandatory testing should be condemned with the contempt it deserves as it violates people’s constitutional rights to privacy,” he was reported as saying. Nearly 500 doctors, who are part of the 900-member association, demanded an adoption by their annual congress for a mandatory testing of all patients. This year’s Zima congress focused on HIV/AIDS. The doctors said mandatory testing would give the country accurate statistics which would help in planning the way forward.