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International maritime health body and ITF speak out against HIV discrimination
16 August 2007
The IMHA (International Maritime Health Association) and ITF have joined to put on record that HIV/Aids cannot be a cause for discrimination at sea. The two organisations will lay out the policy at the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) being held in Sri Lanka, from 19-23 August.
The statement will be delivered at ICAAP by Dr Asif Altaf, the ITF Global HIV/Aids Project Coordinator, on behalf of the General Secretary of the ITF and the President of the IMHA, Dr Nebojša Nikolić. He will make clear that the IMHA and ITF consider that HIV as a workplace issue should be treated like any other serious illness or condition on board a vessel; that it is not a threat to public health in shipping; that it is not a cause for discrimination; and that testing for the virus should be voluntary.
Dr Nikolić, IMHA President, commented: “To those of us working in the field of healthcare and HIV/Aids these are facts, not opinions. However, we realise that they may not be so immediately self evident to everyone working outside our sector. So we are glad to have been able to join with the ITF in saying that this is what our own experience has taught us, and this is what we would like to make available as guidance to the huge and economically vital world shipping industry.”
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