Saint Helena ‘risks importing Aids’
Reported, December 12, 2011
The islanders of St Helena, one of the last specks of British Empire in the South Atlantic, fear that an influx of South African workers to build an airport will risk their homeland’s unique status as being entirely free of Aids.
Many of St Helena’s 4,000 inhabitants, the descendants of British settlers, are demanding compulsory HIV tests for the construction workers.
A team of 300, all from South African companies, are expected to start building the airport next year. Islanders point to the fact that six million South Africans are infected with HIV or Aids.
So far, no cases of HIV or Aids have ever been recorded on St Helena. Thanks to the isolation afforded by the South Atlantic, the island is also free of tuberculosis.
Imposing HIV tests could force the South African companies to withdraw their bids and risk the future of the airport project.
The final decision on whether to impose HIV testing on the South African workers will rest with St Helena’s Executive Council, chaired by the governor, Michael Clancy.
Credits: David Blair and more information at
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/
sainthelena/1519390/St-Helena-risks-importing-Aids.html
