AFRO-NETS> Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Fri, 24 Aug 2001

[Cecilia Snyder <csnyder@ccmc.org>]

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Fri, 24 Aug 2001 
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Politics & Policy

State Department to Cease HIV Testing of Local Workers at U.S. Posts 
Abroad

The State Department will end routine HIV testing for foreign person-
nel and Americans hired locally to work at U.S. postings overseas, 
the department announced yesterday. The change is intended to bring 
"overseas hiring and workplace practices in line with global U.S. ef-
forts" against AIDS and to set an "example consistent with [the U.S.] 
message of non-discrimination to host countries and private indus-
try," according to a State Department statement (State Department re-
lease, 8/23).  Previously, U.S. ambassadors could choose to require 
HIV testing of foreign workers and locally hired U.S. citizens, a 
practice followed by about 20 overseas missions, many in Africa, the 
AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The State Department noted 
that U.S. Foreign Service officers will still have to undergo HIV 
screening and that those who test positive will be denied employment. 
Officials explained that Foreign Service workers must be able to work 
anywhere in the world, including places where adequate HIV care is 
not available. 

Focusing on Education

In addition to changes in the testing requirements, the State Depart-
ment has launched a pilot HIV testing and education program at three 
U.S. diplomatic posts in Kenya and South Africa, department deputy 
spokesperson Philip Reeker said. "Those missions, obviously, have 
been markedly affected by the HIV pandemic, and we're going to expand 
that program globally during the next fiscal year", he added 
(Schweid, AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/24). The department will 
also permit overseas missions to negotiate expanded insurance cover-
age for HIV/AIDS-related expenses "to the greatest extent possible", 
including for drugs used against opportunistic infections such as tu-
berculosis and for "brief courses" of antiretroviral drugs to prevent 
mother-to-child HIV transmission (State Department release, 8/23).

The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, 
a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, by National 
Journal Group Inc. , 2001 by National Journal Group Inc. and Kaiser 
Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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