HIV Condition Not a Barrier for Police Service

The Human Rights Advisory Board of the Ombudsman has recommended in a statement that people with HIV under effective therapy should not be generally excluded from joining the police service. This supported a complaint by the Aids Help Vienna from the year 2024. According to the statement, the Ministry of the Interior no longer argued the exclusion criterion with the risk of infection, but with the need to take medication to contain the disease.

Arguments of the Ministry of the Interior Rejected

Among other things, reference was made to the strong side effects, "which made the unrestricted operational capability of executive officers, often under particularly challenging physical and psychological stresses, appear questionable," it was stated in the current statement. However, the Human Rights Advisory Board of the Ombudsman did not share these doubts.

Discrimination No Longer Up-to-Date

The Aids Help Vienna has been fighting for some time against the practice of excluding people with HIV from police service. "HIV is indeed a chronic infection, but people with HIV under effective therapy can perform any profession without restrictions," said Mirjam Hall, Chairwoman of the Aids Help Vienna. People with HIV have a normal life expectancy with good quality of life due to medical advances. The HIV therapy in the majority of cases consists of taking one pill a day.

(APA/Red)

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