Good news for HIV infected foreigners: Singapore revokes ban on short term visit

Singapore, Sept 1: Authorities in Singapore have now decided to partially revoke a decade old ban on entering HIV positive foreigners in the country.

According to new rule, HIV positive foreigners can make a maximum of three months visit to the country.

According to media reports, the ban was revoked on April 1. The ban will continue to be in force for long-term visit, reported The Straitstimes.

"The policy on the repatriation and permanent blacklisting of HIV-positive foreigners was recommended in the late 1980s when the disease was new, fatal and no effective treatment was available," a spokesman of Ministry of Health was quoted as saying.

But the ban was lifted "given the current context with more than 5,000 Singapore residents living with HIV and the availability of effective treatment for the disease".

"Lifting the short-term travel restrictions... poses very low additional risk of HIV transmission to the local population," added the spokesman.

"However, the public health risk posed by long-stayers is not insignificant, hence the restriction on long-term visits has been retained."

HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight infections.

OneIndia News