madkins
Registered
Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically.
D.H. Lawrence(1885-1930)
Reuters-London, UK
Doctors fear asylum policy may raise HIV infections
Fri 6 August, 2004 04:49
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's policy of dispersing asylum seekers from London and southeast England to other parts of the country may lead to increased transmission of the HIV virus which causes AIDS, doctors say.
It is unclear how many asylum seekers infected with HIV have been affected by the policy, but many come from countries or regions which have high rates of HIV/AIDS.
"Doctors believe that dispersal is disruptive, may compromise
IV care, and may lead to increased transmission," Simon Edwards, of Camden Primary Care Trust in London, said in a report in The British Medical Journal on Friday.
A survey of physicians working
r
in sexual
health clinics revealed that people are moved at short notice, without prior arrangement and sometime without community support.
Many of the 56 doctors questioned in the survey felt moving patients was inappropriate if they were starting or having treatment with antiretroviral drugs, if multiple medical specialists were caring for them or if the patient had AIDS.
Doctors in some clinics said patients were moved against medical advice.
The government started a policy of dispersing asylum seekers from southeast England in April 2000 to spread the cost of their care. More than 100,000 asylum seekers have been moved under the policy, according to Edwards and his colleagues.
An estimated 38 million adults and children worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa,
which has 25 million people infected with the virus, is the worst affected region.
Skara Brae,
madkins
D.H. Lawrence(1885-1930)
Reuters-London, UK
Doctors fear asylum policy may raise HIV infections
Fri 6 August, 2004 04:49
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's policy of dispersing asylum seekers from London and southeast England to other parts of the country may lead to increased transmission of the HIV virus which causes AIDS, doctors say.
It is unclear how many asylum seekers infected with HIV have been affected by the policy, but many come from countries or regions which have high rates of HIV/AIDS.
"Doctors believe that dispersal is disruptive, may compromise
IV care, and may lead to increased transmission," Simon Edwards, of Camden Primary Care Trust in London, said in a report in The British Medical Journal on Friday.
A survey of physicians working
r
in sexual
health clinics revealed that people are moved at short notice, without prior arrangement and sometime without community support.
Many of the 56 doctors questioned in the survey felt moving patients was inappropriate if they were starting or having treatment with antiretroviral drugs, if multiple medical specialists were caring for them or if the patient had AIDS.
Doctors in some clinics said patients were moved against medical advice.
The government started a policy of dispersing asylum seekers from southeast England in April 2000 to spread the cost of their care. More than 100,000 asylum seekers have been moved under the policy, according to Edwards and his colleagues.
An estimated 38 million adults and children worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa,
which has 25 million people infected with the virus, is the worst affected region.
Skara Brae,
madkins