UK mandatory HIV testing plans abandoned

AFRICA: UK mandatory HIV testing plans abandoned

JOHANNESBURG, 29 Jul 2004 (PLUSNEWS) - Britain has abandoned plans to make HIV testing mandatory for immigrants applying for visas to the country.

Health experts warned that the plan could force the disease underground, as individuals needing asylum might fear detainment or arrest for seeking HIV/AIDS treatment.

Implementing compulsory screening for individuals entering the UK from countries with high HIV/AIDS rates had been considered, amid concerns that treating immigrants was burdening Britain's National Health System (NHS) clinics.

Accoring to The London Observer, a British newspaper, Migration Watch UK, recently noted that the cost of treating HIV-positive immigrants, mainly from Africa, had exceeded US $1.8 billion.

[ENDS]

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