Kansas to legalize quarantine of HIV patients

Kansas, Midwestern US state, is about to allow the quarantine of people with HIV and AIDS. The legislation, proposed by the Republican Party, is expected to become law in the next few weeks, AmericaBlog reported.

The measure, HB 2183, would authorize the state’s Secretary of Health and Environment the authority “to prevent the spread and dissemination of diseases injurious to the public health, including, but not limited to, providing for the testing for such diseases and the isolation and quarantine of persons afflicted with or exposed to such diseases.”

Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials said that the bill is intended to protect the public health by controlling “infectious or contagious diseases” such as HIV.

The new bill can cause harassment and discrimination of those living with HIV/AIDS. “We live in a very conservative state and I’m afraid there are still many people, especially in rural Kansas, that have inadequate education and understanding concerning HIV/AIDS,” said Cody Patton, Executive Director of Positive Directions, a social service agency for HIV patients in Kansas. “My fear would not be the state uses the law as some way to move all people living with HIV/AIDS into an isolated community, but that this law could allow some county employee to use this law to justify their religious beliefs over their professional responsibilities and discriminate against people with HIV/AIDS.”