If an HIV-positive person costs more to employ, won't that affect us all?

It is extremely unlikely as most HIV-positive people who are not showing symptoms of the disease are able to work normally.

Any adjustments for an HIV-positive employee are likely to  be minor and short-term - similar to those for other long-term conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis. Such changes will relate to flexibility to work and hours, and their physical working environment.

An HIV-positive employee may get sick, for example because of the side-effects of anti-HIV drugs. But any employee can fall sick or suffer from a medical condition requiring them to take time off.

Any high costs involved in accommodating disabled employees may be covered by schemes such as Access to Work or the Job Introduction Scheme. Information on these schemes is available from Disability Employment Advisors in Jobcentres, and from the Equality and Human Rights Commission in England, Scotland and Wales, or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

Laws prohibiting disability discrimination, now contained in the Equality Act 2010 , protect anyone living with HIV from discrimination at work from the point of diagnosis. The Act requires the employer to make reasonable adjustments to the workplace or work practices to remove substantial disadvantages a disabled person may experience due to their disability.

Broadly speaking, the Equality Act 2010 introduced a ban on pre-employment questions to job applicants about their health, including whether they have a disability, and about their previous sickness absence record, before they are offered a role.  This makes it unlawful for employers to ask questions about HIV before offering a person a job.