THIS MAGAZINE: BECAUSE EVERTHING IS POLITICAL

Search for:

• FEATURES
• THIS & THAT
• ARTS & IDEAS
• FICTION & POETRY
• LETTERS
• BLOG THIS
•  
• SUBSCRIBE
• BACK ISSUES
• SUPPORT THIS
•  
• ABOUT THIS
• CONTRIBUTORS
• CONTACT THIS
• ADVERTISE
• SITE MAP

Home » Blog This

August 21, 2007

Unfriendly Skies

Posted by shawnsyms at 11:51 AM ET

According to The Southern African (a Toronto-based diasporic news source), aviation workers in Botswana are in an uproar about new regulations requiring regular screening for HIV—and the potential for dismissal of people who test positive.

The director of the nation's civil aviation authority, Olefile Moakofi, claimed "there are certain medical conditions that if people are diagnosed to have, then it may impair their judgement in the respective professions that they are rendering." No details were offered as how the presence of HIV would prevent a pilot or air-traffic controller from conducting his or her job. Young pilots are to be tested annually and older pilots more frequently. Authorities will also test blood pressure and for the presence of diabetes.

The international AIDS organization AVERT says that Botswana has the second highest rate of HIV prevalence in the world—but the country has also been a leader among African nations in terms of the fight to get antiretroviral treatment into the hands of those who need it.

The International Labour Office, a UN agency, says that airlines once provided leadership on issues of HIV in the workplace, but that policies such as the one announced in Botswana are wrong: "Testing for HIV at the workplace [...] should be voluntary and confidential, and never used to screen job applicants or employees. Moetapele Motale of the Botswana Air Traffic Controllers Association said "There's suddenly a growing feeling of uneasiness amongst controllers and pilots." Indeed.

More entries on: Africa | HIV/AIDS

Previous: SPP Protest: Union Leader diffuses suspected provocateur
Next: Alternate Routes: Alternatives to Institutions

---

Reader comments:

Maybe this whole AIDS plague could have been prevented if Air Canada had prevented one of their HIV-infected flight attendants from spreading HIV across the planet.

There is also a real health issue for pilots. The safety of the passengers is in their hands and they must be in top physical form. I don't think this is unreasonable.

Posted by: GetReal at August 22, 2007 12:44 AM

•

The first part of "GetReal"/Steve's comment is a misguided and wrong-headedly antagonistic non-sequitur. But if he genuinely wants to have an informed understanding of how HIV was first acquired by humans and how it spread, I highly recommend Stephanie Nolen's 28.

Over 40 million people have HIV and for the vast duration of that condition, it has no impact on their health that would affect their ability to carry out significant job responsibilities, including flying a plane.

Posted by: shawnsyms at August 22, 2007 02:40 PM

•

Shawn, you should know better. I make one anonymous comment, something I almost never do, and you try to out me. Would you have tried that if you agreed with what I wrote?

My basic point remains. HIV was initially spread by one flight attendant working for an airline. The 40 million people in the world with HIV have him to blame. You can't rewrite history, but if we have learned anything from this it is that public health is serious business. Erring on the side caution however ill founded should not be condemned.

Posted by: GetReal at August 22, 2007 09:19 PM

•

>>My basic point remains. HIV was initially spread by one flight attendant working for an airline. The 40 million people in the world with HIV have him to blame.

Actually, no. The semi-fictional Gaetan Dugas hypothesis that was propagated in Randy Shilts' And the Band Played On was later debunked by the scientist whose work Shilts misinterpreted.

People's travel patterns do have some impact on HIV transmission; this is documented. That has nothing to do with the fact that people with HIV don't put anyone at risk of danger whatsoever when they engage in the act of flying a plane. People with HIV don't just get some kind of random explosion of sickness while they are in the pilot's chair. It's like anyone else. If they don't feel well, they stay home from work. Even if they didn't, the risk would be the same (or lower) than with any other medical condition.

Posted by: shawnsyms at August 22, 2007 09:59 PM

•

---

Post your own comment:

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)

---

 Subscribe to the feed

---

Blog This Must-Reads

---

---

---

Blog This Archives

May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
March 2000

---