Effective January 4, 2010, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have re¬moved HIV infection from the list of diseases that can keep people who are not US citizens from entering the country.
“As of January 4, HIV testing will no longer be included in the medical exam required for US immigrant visa applicants. The CDC removed HIV infection as a communicable disease of public health significance due to current scientific knowledge of the disease,” said a statement issued by the USA embassy in Ethiopia.
HIV status was added to the US regulations on visa eligibility in 1987, but since that time, much more has become known about HIV and how it is spread.
“Most notably, public health science has proven that immigrants and refugees with HIV infection do not pose a risk to the public’s health by entering the United States because HIV is preventable and is not spread through casual contact,” said the statement.
“The new final rule means that a person’s HIV status would not prevent them from entering the United States. As a result, testing for HIV is no longer required as part of the US immigration medical screening process and people with HIV infection no longer require a waiver for entry into the United States.”
Once the rule is in effect, applicants who were previously refused visas only under INA Section 212(a)(1)(A)(i) because they were HIV positive, may be eligible for visas and may reapply, the statement said.
It was reported that in January 2010, the US embassy consular section in Addis Ababa will contact each applicant refused under this ineligibility within the last year and provide information on how to re-apply.
However, it is not yet clear how many people were refused visa under this condition.
Source African Press Agency
