British Global Health Advocate Says He Was Denied Entrance Into U.S. Because Of HIV Status

Paul Thorn – project director of the Tuberculosis Survival Project, who was scheduled to speak at the Pacific Health Summit in Seattle on Wednesday – has called on the Obama administration to change the policy banning people who are HIV-positive from entering the U.S., the Seattle Times' blog, the "Business of Giving," reports. Thorn said he was denied a U.S. visa because he is HIV-positive and issued an apology to summit attendees for his absence, which stated, "The U.S. government actively discriminates against people" who are HIV-positive adding that if U.S. officials want to demonstrate leadership on HIV/AIDS and global health by hosting such conferences, "then they need to accept that non-U.S. citizens with HIV are going to need to be there and participate." One of the key topics for the conference is HIV and tuberculosis coinfection (Heim, "Business of Giving"/Seattle Times, 6/17).