'Treat HIV patients with dignity at work places'

MUMBAI: Most persons suffering from HIV-AIDS have done nothing wrong to get infected with the disease and should be treated like humans, especially at their workplaces, Justice Z M Yacoob of the Constitutional Court of South Africa said on Tuesday.

"It is a serious epidemic and there is less awareness about it. Most of those infected with the disease have nothing to do with sex workers," Yacoob told a meeting organised by the India Centre for Human Rights and Law here.

"Since persons suffering from the disease are getting better medical treatment during the past 10 years, there is a need to change the mindset and treat them like humans at workplaces," he said.

"There are several people suffering from the disease whofering have not done anything wrong. Then why the discrimination?" he asked.

There were two main issues which came to the court -- one where the disease is transmitted to the child by the mother and the problems faced by HIV-positive people in their workplaces, he pointed out.

Recently, a South African airline was ordered by the court to take up the issues of employees being treated for the dreaded disease.