Italian authorities spread “dangerous nonsense” on HIV to justify ordering seizure of migrant rescue ship Aquarius, claim National AIDS Trust.
ITALIAN authorities have issued an order for the seizure of the migrant rescue ship Aquarius, which is operated by the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and SOS Méditerranée saying, discarded clothes from migrants on the ship could be “contaminated” with HIV, meningitis, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
The ship is currently docked in Marseilles, France where it is beyond the reach of the Italian authorities. However, prosecutors in Catania have warned that if the ship tries to dock anywhere in Italy it will immediately be put under seizure.
AIDS activists and campaigners have been quick to challenge the claims.
Deborah Gold, chief executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust) said: “Clothing categorically is not, and has never been, an HIV transmission risk. This would have stood out as ridiculous even amongst the misinformation of the 1980s, never mind in 2018. Migrants and people seeking asylum have historically been attacked using myths about HIV and infectious conditions, and we condemn this both for its stigmatising of people living with HIV and of migrants fleeing hardship. It’s a bitter irony that we are still seeing this as we approach the 30th World AIDS Day. This is shocking to hear and we would urge the authorities involved to withdraw these orders, allow MSF to continue its lifesaving work, and issue an apology for spreading this dangerous nonsense, which damages ongoing international efforts to raise awareness.”
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