Blog #8 Visa Policies with HIV

Hello Bloggers I’m still hanging in there. My HIV class has seemed to have eased up a little these last two weeks but that may be because we have a big test coming up this Friday. However I am still learning so much in this class. Blogging is really a great way to get quick facts about specific topics. The weekly questions also help me to see that I think the same way as my classmates when it comes to certain situations. I still like the class but I can’t wait for this semester to be over.
As you know my blog topic is mostly about discrimination and my research this week really surprised me.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that in more than half of the countries around the world travelers and residents are required to have a HIV test done in order to visit or stay in the countries. Most of the countries will allow people to visit for a specific amount of time without having to be tested where on the other hand some countries require test prior to ever stepping foot on their soil. Then if you are planning on working in certain countries or becoming a resident for school purposes you will be denied an extended visa if you test positive for HIV. In some extreme cases some countries will depart immigrants who are found to be HIV positive.


Here is the list of countries who have an HIV policy of some sort upon entering the country or residing in the county: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas has recommended that HIV positive people should not be allowed into the country, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Fiji says that “People with HIV/AIDS are not allowed to enter the Fiji Islands. Then also : Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tadjikistan, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, South Yemen and the United States.


I thought people with HIV had more rights but obviously their only rights are to stay where ever they are because basically they are not allowed in more than half of the countries around the world. I understand that these countries are trying to protect their citizens but when I think about the people who are infected with HIV it really limits them in their travel.


If you are interested in see the exact stipulations for each country please log on to the website below to view the article entitled Visa Policies for HIV Patients around the World written by Muhammed Mohsin Iqbal on June 03, 2009.
www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/104722

Post #7 Jamaica pulling together.

I am still enjoying the class but again it is a lot of work. I am so happy that we do not have anything due this Friday but I will be working on some extra credit. I am also glad that we are half way through the semester. I am still talking my best friend’s ear off about this class. He told me that he is just going to take the class because with everything he has learned from me he is sure to ace the class.

Did you know?

In Jamaica efforts are being made to minimize the work related discrimination against individuals with HIV. In fact 22 organizations have come together to help in the cause and their association is through The Jamaica Employer’s Federation (JEF). Along with the Health and labor companies also government and non government organization, (JEP) is able to make this all possible. The article HIV discrimination in workplace should be eliminated said that “it is estimated that 20,000 or more Jamaicans are HIV positive and ages from 15-49 with a one to four ratio in the workplace.” The article also said that 13% of organizations openly said that they do not hire individuals with HIV. Finally this article said that a survey was taken in 2006 that showed that 62% of the 23,000 people employed had no protection against HIV related workplace discrimination and there were no established policies to prevent discrimination.

If you are interested in this article it is entitled HIV discrimination in workplace should be eliminated and can be found at http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/HIV-discrimination-in-workplace-should-be-eliminated-13651-1/

6th Post Positive Resources

How am I doing in class? Honestly I have had my struggles. I was even considering dropping the class but I decided not to. I am hanging in there and trying to work hard to make sure I pass the class. As for the information, I am still learning so much each week. The information is in such details and the statistics are the reality of how much this disease has affected so many people. Last week we had to watch a few movies which showed us exactly how AIDS had affected people’s lives. One of the videos showed two guys who were making their own documentary about living with AIDS. One of the guys had lesions all over his body even on his face and his eye. Then the other guy experienced the wasting syndrome and it looked horrible. It is one thing to read about it but when you watch someone go through it is a whole new affect.

Did you know?

My initial topic was HIV discrimination so I would like to go back to that.
Did you know that there is an agency in San Francisco called PRC Positive Resource Center. This company helps people who are living with HIV. The agency helps get people disability insurance, social security income, computer training, counseling and even jobs. Most people who live with AIDS are unemployed and are denied insurance so this agency offers legal assistance in getting the benefits they are entitled to. The website said the “over half of the 20,000 people living with HIV are unemployed, and they lead the people living in poverty.”

I did not think that this happened to people with AIDS but then again nothing is a surprise in this day and age. As if being diagnosed with AIDS was not bad enough these people are not able to get back up and go on with everyday life. So I am happy that there is an agency out there helping these people to get their lives back.

If you are intersted in this agencies or want to learn more about their organization here is the website:

http://www.positiveresource.org/

5th Post It's Magic...

Hello Bloggers, Steele checking in. So my HIV class in still in full swing. I have been learning so much about HIV and AIDS through videos, books, blogs, discussions etc... I am so excited each time I learn something new about it. I find myself talking to my friends and co-workers about this class alot. I have one friend who has become very interested in my course. Maybe he did not gain interest by choice because I talk to him about it so much he probably could not help but to become interested.

Did you know?

For starters I am not quite sure this is true but I am very interested in learning more about this strand if it is really true so here it is.

I read an article about Magic Johnson's HIV. The article entitled Magic Johnson Has Been HIV Positive Since 1991, What Type Of HIV Does That Dude Have??? The said that Magic has a different type of HIV which was very lazy and slow moving. The article called it the RFHIV strand which stands for Rastafari Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It was said that this strand is found in Jamaica and Mexico. The article had a theory that Magic contracted the virus while vacationing over in Jamaica where he may have had sex with women who were infected with RFHIV. Funny but the article said that RFHIV (also known as the slacker) is like the weed smoker that just sit around watching TV and listening to Bob Marley all day and that because it is so lazy it never reaches it full potential like HIV does, which is why Magic does not seem to be affected by the virus.

Again I don't know if there is any truth but this was very interesting to me. So if anyone elso has even heard of this let me know.

You can find the article at:
http://stupidanswerstogreatquestions.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/magic-johnson-has-been-hiv-positive-since-1991-what-type-of-hiv-does-that-dude-have/