Swaziland & HIV

HIV sufferers could be branded on the buttocks under plans to slow the spread of the disease in Swaziland.

MP Timothy Myeni has suggested making tests compulsory for every person in the southern African state and then forcing those who were infected to be permanently marked with a warning logo.

He claimed the scheme would help stop the spread of the killer disease by reducing sexual activity between HIV positive people and uninfected partners.

Campaigners furiously criticised the idea with Siphiwe Hlophe, a health campaigner, saying the system would contravene human rights laws.

She said: "How can a legislator lobby for the branding of HIV positive people?

"We do not need legislators who think like him because some of the people who voted for him could be positive, why is he then discriminating them?"

Read the full article here.