HIV Leads to Problems in the Workplace

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research shows people who are HIV-positive may have a hard time on the job.

According to a new study out of France conducted among 478 people with HIV, about one-third had lost their jobs since getting the diagnosis. About one-third cited health reasons for the job loss and about one-fifth reported they were fired. Twenty people in the study reported outright discrimination due to their HIV status.

Work-related problems hit women and those with lower levels of education the hardest. For example, women who had progressed to full blown AIDS or severe immune deficiency were four-times more likely to be out of work than women with less severe disease, but the same was not true for men.

People with less education who reported job discrimination were more than five times as likely to end up unemployed than those who reported no job discrimination. However, no such link was seen among people with higher educational levels.

The authors note continued employment can help people with chronic health problems maintain both their physical and mental health. Their study, however, shows hanging on to a job can be difficult in the face of a serious condition and discrimination in the workplace.

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SOURCE: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published online October 2, 2007