US lifts HIV/Aids entry ban

The United States has dropped a 22-year-old immigration ban preventing anyone with HIV/Aids from entering the country.

New rules, put into place under the administration of George Bush, came into force yesterday (January 4th).

The original ban was established at the end of the 1980s at the height of the global Aids pandemic, with the US joining a group of 12 nations that prevented anyone suffering from HIV/Aids from crossing its borders.

Barack Obama confirmed last year the ban would be overturned, claiming it was rooted in “fear rather than fact”.

“If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/Aids, we need to act like it,” he added.

As well as lifting the travel ban, the US has announced plans to host a bi-annual global HIV/Aids summit starting in two years time.

Mr Obama has also announced an extension of funding for an act that provides HIV/Aids-related healthcare.