Australia's prime minister today said people with HIV should not be allowed to migrate to the country and that the government was investigating whether it can tighten restrictions.
Asked whether people with the virus should be allowed into Australia as migrants or refugees, John Howard said: "My initial reaction is no."
He said that there may be "humanitarian considerations" in certain cases, and that he would like to take "more counsel" on the issue.
"I think we should have the most stringent possible conditions in relation to that nationwide, and I know the health minister is concerned about that and is examining ways of tightening things up," Mr Howard said.
Don Baxter of the Australian Federation of Aids Organisations said HIV tests were among health checks that prospective immigrants were given already. He noted that carrying HIV was grounds for rejection on the grounds that an HIV-positive person could impose an unfair burden on the public health system.