Positive HIV test... what now?

[justfoundout]

Hello everybody,

unfortunately I have had the misfortune to have recently received a positive HIV test result. I have not told my employer at present.

Whilst this has come as somewhat of a shock to me, I am managing to continue my everyday life at the moment. I am not feeling depressed and I am still otherwise healthy and able to carry on as normal. I am not taking any medication at the moment, although I realise that this will probably change in the future.

My main worry at the moment is my job and the fact that, working in aviation, I am required to pass a medical in order to do it.

I would be interested to hear from anybody who is in the same situation to me, or even anybody who can offer advice or the benfefit of experience of dealing with somebody in my situation. I would also be grateful of any information on where I stand in law if I fail my medical on account of my HIV status. Could my employer terminate my employment on account of my HIV status?

I can be contacted via my email address [email protected] . I can assure anybody that replies that total discretion is assured, and you do not need to give your name. However, some details of your profession may be useful but not essential.

Many many thanks in advance to anybody who takes the time to reply.

[Alpha One]

Journo Alert!!!

Be very very careful folks!

Journalists, like anyone else, welcome to post on this forum. H

[747FOCAL]

Not to be crass or anything, but how you got it is probably what you are now........

If your a journo scram, if you truly are a poor soul looking for answers, my condolences.

[justfoundout]

I came on here to ask a difficult question at a difficult time in my life in the belief that there might be some people on here mature enough to give me a straight answer. Obviously I was wrong.

747Focal, how I got it is of no concern of yours.

I can assure you that I most certainly am not a journalist and I take serious offence at that accusation being levelled at me. I have reported the above posts to the moderator.

[Flyin'Dutch']

Hi JFO,

There are a few people that you need to talk to:

1. Your treating physician to ensure you get up to date medical advice and treatment for your condition.

2. You union people to make sure that you know were you stand with regards to your employment rights/responsibilities I think they will advice you to speak to:

3. Your occupational health department and

4. Your AME

They should all be able to help you.

HTH

FD

[Bad medicine]

Let's keep things civilised everyone. Justfoundout has asked a perfectly reasonable question regarding medicals and the implications of a medical condition.

If anyone has any useful information, let's hear it. Remember, personal attacks won't be tolerated.

BM

PS. Thanks FD, I missed yours.

[Alpha One]

justfoundout

You should not take offence at being accused of being a journalist. There are many journalists use PPRuNe, some openly and some not so openly.
When you say that you require a medical for your job, I assume that you mean a JAR Class 1. As you know, you will have to declare a positive HIV test at your next revalidation as it is one of the questions asked. To lie about it is risking serious consequences. The rules are covered in JAR-FCL 3.190 and JAR-FCL 3.310. In particular, Appendix 7 to Subpart C states (1) HIV positive is disqualifying. (2) Recertification of HIV positive individuals to multi-pilot (Class 1) or safety-pilot (Class 2) operations may be considered by the AMS subject to frequent reviews.

Hawk and Bad Medicine

I believe that my post was entirely appropriate. Anyone who finds themself in this situation is under a great deal of stress and does not always think clearly. To give too much information to an unidentifiable contact at a hotmail address could have dire consequences. I'm sure that justfoundout is entirely genuine, but I still believe that anyone with this condition should be careful what they disclose, especially if their e-mail address can be identified. Many of my friends are journos, and many of them are long established PPRuNers. I certainly do not consider it an insult.

[justfoundout]

Thanks for that Bad medicine.

Flying Dutch, thanks for your reply.

I guess deciding who to tell and if to tell at all is the most difficult thing at the moment. If the attitude I get from work is similar to some of the posters above then I'm not sure I want to tell my employer.

I think I would probably be the first person at work in this predicament (how being 1 in a million warrants making an effort to write a newspaper article about it I dont know) and I'm not sure they would have a clue what to do with me. Hence I'd be grateful to know if theres anybody out there in the same situation.

Alpha, I have already said that anybody replying need not give their name and can of course, just like me, set up an unidentifiable hotmail address. I can assure you I am thinking clearly and am continuing life as normal at the moment. Not knowing what to do jobwise is my major concern. I am aware of the rules, but I would just like to know if anybody has any personal experience of what happens next.

Thankyou.

[gingernut]

Just found out, sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

I would certainly echo the advice of others, in that you need to seek treatment and monitioring. This should be your number one priority.

As some of the posts have highlighted, there is, still, unfortunately plenty of stigma, prejudice and ignorance surrounding this condition.

Unfortunately this ignorance still exists amongst some of our professionals, including medics, occupational health workers, employers and colleagues.

Before you make any decisions regarding the sharing of your diagnosis, (as eventually you may have to), you may want to have a chat to these people in confidence. here (http://www.tht.org.uk/)

[Alpha One]

justfoundout

Could you tell us what type of medical it is that you require? From the phraseology that you use I imply that it is a company medical but I might be wrong. If it is a company medical then I don't know the rules so perhaps somebody else could advise. However, if it is a JAR Class 1 then the law is quite specific (see JAR-FCL 1.0035 and 1.040). You must inform either your AME or the CAA. Failure to do so is a serious offence.
I spend a great deal of time at the Belgrano talking to the CAA on licensing issues and know that they can be very flexible if you are honest with them. However, if you continue to excercise the privileges of your licence when knowingly breaching JAR-FCL 3 then they can be very unforgiving.
I agree with gingernut that there is still a great deal of ignorance and prejudice surrounding this subject, which is why I advised my fellow PPRuNers to be careful what they reveal to an unknown recipient. Probaby best to discuss it openly here, where anonimity is assured.

[747FOCAL]

justfoundout,

Like I said I am sorry. I truly wish they would find cures for HIV and the many other terrible diseases out there.

Those of us that have been around for a long time tend to be a little defensive when we sense a windup. I meant no offense to you or anybody else unfortunate enough to be stricken with HIV. This will be a painful journey for you and your family. I wish you strength and wisdom in your time of need.