Published 15:22 November 30, 2015
Updated 15:22 November 30, 2015
December 1st
is the world HIV day with several international organizations calling
for a patient-centered approach to an infection that is affections
millions worldwide; while attention is often focused on developing
states – low and middle income countries – there EU member states that
are facing a worsening challenge.
The epidemic is still widening, despite revolutionary advances in medicine.
A Greek human rights advocacy and support group,
Act Up, suggests that a Greek Corporal was dismissed from the country’s
Armed Forces on the basis of a recent legislative act that calls for
the immediate dismissal of professional soldiers found to be HIV+.
For
obvious reasons the name of the Corporal was not released. This is not a
common practice around the world.
Other Armed Forces have policies for
the support of men and women in uniform that contact HIV.
HIV is now regarded a treatable disease.
Currently, medicines can
slow the growth of the virus or stop it from making copies of itself.
Although these drugs don’t eliminate the virus from the body, they keep
the amount of virus in the blood low.
The amount of virus in the blood
is called the viral load, and it can be measured by a test.
Nonetheless, the Greek law stipulates that it is impossible for an
HIV+ professional soldier to respond to his or her duties.
In the
medical assessment of the Corporal, it is stated that he is suffering
from a “refractory” sickness (not yielding to treatment).
Similar discriminating legislation is not unknown in Greece.
The former Minister of Health, Andreas Loverdos,
introduced legislation calling for the imprisonment of sex workers that
were HIV+.
That law was annulled by the current administration, but new
regulations call into question the human rights record of the current
government.
All over the world, the armed forces are a high risk group.
Specialists suggest that in peace time men in uniform are two to five
time more likely to contract the disease in comparison to the general
population.
In armed conflict situations, the armed forces are fifty
times more likely to contract the disease as compared to the general
population.
http://neurope.eu/article/greek-army-dismisses-corporal-because-he-is-hiv/
http://neurope.eu/article/greek-army-dismisses-corporal-because-he-is-hiv/
