Asylum seekers to be offered voluntary HIV tests

Aids prevention efforts for asylum seekers are to be stepped up Keystone

The Swiss authorities have dropped plans to introduce systematic HIV tests on asylum seekers entering the country.

Instead, asylum seekers will be offered voluntary tests on arrival at a border post.

The Federal Health Office and the Federal Refugee Office said they were examining ways to encourage asylum seekers to be tested for HIV, the virus that leads to Aids.

Earlier this year, the authorities considered introducing systematic tests at the border, but are now stressing that such tests would be entirely voluntary.

They reiterated there were no plans for mandatory measures.

Dominique Boillat, a spokesman for the Federal Refugee Office, said his office had never supported compulsory tests because they would likely lead to charges of discrimination in granting or refusing asylum.

“Both offices came to the conclusion that tests of this kind would not be practicable during the limited time available,” Boillat told swissinfo.

Pressure

He denied that the authorities had been under pressure from outside to change their position.

The non-governmental Swiss Aids Federation has welcomed the government’s new efforts to improve Aids prevention among asylum seekers and said they were happy that initial suggestions of systematic HIV tests had been dropped.

Among the measures to be introduced is an information campaign, with audio-visual material, as well as leaflets and brochures, to raise awareness of the immune deficiency disease and to draw attention to prevention measures.

The material will be provided in Switzerland’s main languages and will take into account the different cultural backgrounds of asylum applicants arriving in the country.

“The Swiss Aids Federation is pleased that the authorities agreed to focus on counselling,” a statement said.

Data protection

The federation stressed the importance of data protection for voluntary tests to ensure the cooperation of asylum seekers.

In a similar vein the non-governmental Swiss Refugee Council welcomed the decision by the federal authorities as a step in the right direction.

“The move is in line with Switzerland’s official Aids policy. We’ll have to see tough how the authorities want to carry out the voluntary tests,” Jürg Schertenleib of the Refugee Council told swissinfo.

In January, the Federal Health Office announced it was considering the introduction of Aids tests at five main Swiss border posts in response to an increasing number of HIV-infected applicants from Africa.

The Aids Federation had voiced scepticism about the plans. It insisted on the principle of voluntary tests and an offer for personal counselling of asylum seekers.

swissinfo

Key facts

A record number of 2,144 HIV-positive cases was recorded in Switzerland in 1992 according to the Federal Health Office.
The figures decreased during the 1990s before they rose again in 2001.
In 2002 the authorities registered 789 new HIV-positive – a 24,8% increase on the previous year.