There is a lot of hype about the so-called HIV ban in the US. YES, it is true that technically HIVers are banned from entering the United States, whether they are tourists or on work/student Visas. Now the facts are VERY different. I am myself a foreign national, here on a student VISA, planning to remain in the US until I complete my PhD. I happen to be HIV positive AND ON MEDS. I travel to Europe back and forth SEVERAL times a year (with my meds) and have NEVER experienced any problems. The TSA has more important stuff to do than checking if your meds are for HIV and so do the immigration officers! It is a shame that we have to worry about that but I just wanted to share my experience, which is a rather positive one.

Medical information in the US has to be kept CONFIDENTIAL. Therefore, if you are a foreign national living in the US, the INS will NEVER know about your HIV status.

If you are worried about your meds being discovered while travelling, put them in a MULTIVITAMIN bottle or in a checked luggage (really, if you take a direct flight, there is no chance your luggage will be lost). It is as easy as that.

If you come to the US as a tourit, I would not even worry! Just rebottle your medecine to be sure they are not discovered.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reassuring note with some practical suggestions. KH