Co-ordinated European health policy to prevent the spread of AIDS in prisons
Recommendation 1080
(1988)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text
adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of
the Assembly, on 30 June 1988. See Doc. 5897, report of the Social and
Health Affairs Committee, Rapporteur : Mr Martino, and Doc. 5920, opinion
of the Legal Affairs Committee, Rapporteur : Mr S. Gustafsson.
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
2. Deeply concerned by the rapid and continuing spread both in
Europe and world-wide of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
which may cause AIDS and a variety of other diseases ;
3. Realising that, whereas initially only particular risk-groups
were thought to be affected by HIV, it is now understood that the
virus may strike anyone ;
4. Aware that despite considerable progress in medical research
it has not yet been possible to develop an effective treatment of,
or a vaccine against, HIV-related illnesses ;
5. Noting that according to all currently available medical evidence
HIV can only be transmitted through sexual intercourse, blood, or
during pregnancy and the perinatal period ;
6. Convinced that effective measures to contain the spread of
HIV infection should be introduced immediately and that existing
measures, such as the screening of blood and blood products, should
continue to be applied with great care ;
7. Firmly believing that in order to be effective such measures
should not be compulsory, but should be based on the voluntary co-operation
of the population ;
8. Paying tribute to and supporting the invaluable efforts carried
out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) through its special programme
on AIDS ;
9. Welcoming Recommendation No. R (87) 25 concerning a common
European public health policy to fight the acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS), adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 26 November 1987,
and expressing its full support for the guidelines contained therein
;
10. Considering that particular attention should be paid to the
prison population which has a worryingly high incidence of HIV infection
;
11. Considering that the occurrence of homosexual activities and
intravenous drug abuse in prisons, both of which entail a considerable
risk of spreading HIV infection amongst the prison population and
eventually outside prison, must at the moment be accepted as realities
;
12. Convinced that under these circumstances avoiding the spread
of HIV infection should be the overriding concern of prison authorities
;
13. Considering that, as in the general population, compulsory
measures are likely to be ineffective, discriminatory and invidious,
14. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :
a invite the governments of member
states :
i to provide regular information
to all prison staff about HIV infection and its consequences ;
ii to provide written information to prisoners, properly
translated when necessary, about the modes and consequences of HIV
infection, and in particular about the dangers of homosexual contacts and
intravenous drug abuse in prisons ;
iii to make HIV tests and counselling available to all prisoners,
whilst ensuring that the results of these tests remain the secret
of the authorities directly concerned with the health and management
of prisoners ;
iv to ensure that, unless future scientific findings should
indicate otherwise, HIV-infected prisoners are not isolated or segregated,
provided they do not act irresponsibly ;
v to transfer all prisoners who have developed AIDS to specialised
hospitals, and to permit final release of fatally ill prisoners
on humanitarian grounds ;
vi to ensure that hygiene and food in prisons are of such
a standard as not to increase the risk of developing AIDS in prisoners
who are already HIV-infected ;
vii to make condoms available to prisoners ;
viii to take active steps to prevent the illicit introduction
of drugs and injection equipment into prisons, to offer help to
drug addicts and to allow, in the last resort, clean, one-way syringes
and clean needles being made available to intravenous drug abusers
in prison ;
b instruct the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC)
to elaborate urgently standard minimum rules based on the above
proposals for the treatment of HIV-infected persons in prison.
