ITF and IMHA join to condemn HIV discrimination at sea

ITF and IMHA join to condemn HIV discrimination at sea
HIV in shipping should not be considered a threat to public health say doctors

The ITF and IMHA (International Maritime Health Association) have teamed up to set out a position on HIV/Aids whose aim is to help protect the rights and dignity of seafarers and all those living with the virus. They will present it at the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) being held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 19-23 August.

The statement (below) will be delivered at ICAAP by Dr Asif Altaf, the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) Global HIV/Aids Project Coordinator, on behalf of the General Secretary of the ITF and the President of the IMHA worldwide maritime health association. He will make clear that the IMHA and ITF consider HIV as a workplace issue that should be treated like any other serious illness or condition on board a vessel.

He will go on to state that:

• HIV/AIDS should not be considered a threat to public health in shipping because it is transmitted through specific behaviour which is almost always private. The occupational exposure risks of HIV infection at sea are limited to the treatment of injuries and there are well established precautions to avoid these.

• There should be no discrimination against seafarers on the basis of real or perceived HIV status. HIV infection is not a cause for termination of employment at sea and persons with HIV related illness should be able to work for as long as medically fit

• Selection for employment based on HIV status is unacceptable our own experience has taught us, and this is what we would like to make available as guidance to the huge and economically vital world shipping industry.”. HIV testing should be a matter for the individual and his/her clinical advisers, and not a condition for obtaining employment.

• That testing must be voluntary

Dr Nebosja Nilolic, who will be representing the IMHA at ICAAP, commented: “To those of us working in the field of healthcare and HIV/Aids these are facts, not opinions. However, we realise that may not be so immediately self evident to everyone working outside our sector. So we are glad to have been able to join with the ITF in saying that this is what our own experience has taught us, and this is what we would like to make available as guidance to the huge and economically vital world shipping industry.”

Joint IMHA/ITF Statement on HIV/AIDS at Sea. To be delivered at ICAAP, Sri Lanka, 19-23 August

Through this statement and the position it lays out the ITF and IMHA aim to increase their support for international and national commitments to protect the rights and dignity of seafarers and all people living with HIV/AIDS. The IMHA and ITF consider HIV as a workplace issue that should be treated like any other serious illness/condition on board a vessel.

We believe that HIV/AIDS should not be considered to be a condition that poses a threat to public health in relation to shipping because, although infectious, HIV cannot be transmitted by casual contact or the mere presence of a person with HIV. HIV is transmitted through specific behaviour which is almost always private. The occupational exposure risks of HIV infection at sea are slight and limited to the treatment of injuries and to procedures undertaken by the small number of healthcare staff working on large vessels. There are well established precautions to avoid these risks. Sexual or blood borne transmission are not likely routes for transmission of infection in the normal course of work at sea.

There should be no discrimination against seafarers on the basis of real or perceived HIV status. HIV infection is not a cause for termination of employment at sea and persons with HIV related illness should be able to work for as long as medically fit in an available, appropriate workplace. Any travel or work related restriction should only be imposed on the basis of an individual interview/examination.

ITF and IMHA consider selection for employment based on HIV status as unacceptable. HIV testing should be a matter for the individual and his/her clinical advisers, and not a condition for obtaining employment. The purpose of maritime medical fitness assessment is to ensure that any medical condition does not put other people at risk and that the individual is not at excess personal risk from the condition while working at sea. Recognising that many countries require HIV testing for immigration purposes and many employers for pre-recruitment and periodic medical assessment of seafaring personnel for the purposes of establishing fitness, the IMHA and ITF recommend that such testing be conducted only when accompanied by counselling for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals and referral to medical and psychosocial services for those who receive a positive test result.

That testing must be voluntary has to remain at the heart of all HIV policies and programmes in the shipping industry, both to comply with human rights principles and to ensure sustained public health benefits.