Brazil: Bid to Name Rio's HIV Carriers Online Sparks Row

Human rights activists, AIDS advocates, and fellow members of parliament are condemning a lawmaker's recent proposal to require Rio de Janeiro's state government to publish an online list of people who have HIV. The member of parliament, Jorge Babu, is a former member of the ruling Workers Party, having been recently expelled for his alleged involvement with paramilitary vigilantes in Rio.

Babu argues that his bill is geared toward preventing occupational infections of medical staff by HIV-positive patients. "All professionals involved in attending [patients] have the constitutional right to know if they are treating an HIV-positive patient," he said.

However, another bill provision would require people with HIV to carry identification cards, which AIDS activist Roberto Pereira likened to the Nazis' requirement that Jews wear a yellow Star of David. "The bill is misled and profoundly discriminatory and injures the basic principles of human rights," Pereira said.

Brazil has become a model for developing countries fighting HIV/AIDS. The country distributes free antiretroviral drugs to HIV patients and continues to target prevention efforts among at-risk groups such as sex workers.

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