Increasing number of countries criminalizing HIV transmission
Some health officials are concerned that a growing trend to criminalize the transmission of HIV will undercut gains made in the fight against the virus worldwide.
According to a recently released report from the International Planned Parenthood Federation, 33 countries are considering legislation that would prosecute people who transmit the virus, and 58 countries already have similar laws or use existing laws to prosecute HIV transmission.
Paul de Lay of UNAIDS said he is concerned that such laws, if "applied badly," could lead to policies that force people to undergo HIV testing or cause people to hide their HIV status. He added that this could move the epidemic underground, allow the virus to spread undetected and "set us back and do incredible damage."
Seven West African countries have passed such laws since 2005. The West African laws vary in extremity -- just exposing a person to HIV, regardless of if the virus is transmitted, is a crime in Benin, and Tanzanian law carries a possible sentence of life in prison for intentional transmission.
Source: Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 13 November 2008