Obama Lifts US Travel Ban on HIV-infected; Updated AIDS Bill Puts New Focus on Testing

President Overturns 22 Year Ban on HIV-positive Travelers to US; also Signs Ryan
White CARE Act, Which Places New Emphasis on Testing, Calling for 5 Million HIV
Tests Annually, Says AHF
WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today lauded President Barack Obama for lifting
a 22 year-old ban prohibiting HIV-positive foreigners from traveling to the US.
The US was one of only twelve countries with such a travel ban. Obama announced
repeal of the ban after signing the legislation renewing the Ryan White CARE
Act, the federal law that authorizes the primary source of funding for AIDS care
and services nationwide. The updated CARE Act, which Obama signed earlier today
in Washington with the mother of Ryan White in attendance, places a newfound
emphasis on testing, calling for five million HIV tests to be done annually.

"President Obama deserves praise for lifting the 22 year-old ban on travel to
the US by HIV-infected people or those living with AIDS," said Michael
Weinstein, President of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "This ban only served to
reinforce stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS, and its repeal is long
overdue. The travel ban was an enormous black eye on US humanitarian efforts
such as PEPFAR, the US` widely respected global AIDS program. With the repeal of
this ban, major international AIDS conferences may once again be held here in
this country, something that has not happened throughout the ban. In addition,
the updated version of the Ryan White CARE Act that Obama signed into law today
provides another watershed moment: the bill puts a newfound-and crucial-emphasis
on HIV testing, with directives that five million HIV tests be done annually. At
present, fully one-quarter of the 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the
US are currently unaware of their HIV status. Stepped up testing, as this bill
requires, with linkage to treatment when needed, should go a long way to help
address the problem of people unaware of their HIV status unwittingly passing on
their infection to others."

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation`s largest non-profit HIV/AIDS
organization. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than
120,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean, the Asia Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. Additional
information is available at www.aidshealth.org.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Media Contact:
Ged Kenslea
Telephone: 323-860-5225 Mobile: 323-791-5526
gedk@aidshealth.org
or
Alternate Media Contact:
Lori Yeghiayan
Telephone: 323-860-5227 Mobile: 323-377-4312
lori.yeghiayan@aidshealth.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009