The United States always seems to find itself in the most elite company. The U.S., for example, is among only 13 nations in the world that prohibit HIV-positive foreign visitors and immigrants. The U.S. shares this dubioius honor with other countries such as Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Qatar. There might be a war on terror being waged in the Middle East, but their isn't certainly a solidarity of ignorance.
WWW.chron.com reports that the ban on HIV-positive foreign visitors and immigrants stems back to an immigration law in the 1800's that prohibited the entry of "persons suffering from a loathsome or dangerous disease." Patient Zero of the U.S. HIV epidemic was a French-Canadian airline attendant. Of course, nothing about this guy being French-Canadian made a bit of difference. He could have just as easily been a U.S. citizen, in fact, by all accounts it was a whole lot of U.S. men that were joining the mile high club with Zero.
The point is closing the borders to people who are HIV-positive never has stopped the spread of the disease, nor will it ever. Education on how the disease is transmitted and superior research are the only ways to win this deadly battle. While I am not convinced the government created HIV, I am convinced that there is a cottage industry created over the past 28 years that is dependent upon "the search for a cure" - and limitless government funding - for their survival. This is a zero sum game where a winner will ultimately prevail and get a patent, and the other players will wither on the vine. If insurance companies are paying for cocktails and interim treatments, what incentive do researchers have to rush to the cure, particularly if there is no clear path in their mind where to look?
Perhaps I am being a little cynical here and I don't apologize for it. When we have had one President after another in this country ignore, minimize, or admonish the LGBTQ Community as a whole, it is no wonder that HIV-positive foreign visitors and immigrants still can't enter the U.S. and after 28 years there still isn't a cure.
