HIV-positive children in the United Kingdom are being denied entry into primary and secondary schools despite HIV antidiscrimination laws, U.K. newspaper The Guardian reports (education.guardian.co.uk). The National AIDS Trust—an independent HIV policy and campaigning charity in that country—is investigating six cases involving positive children as young as 4.

According to the article, the U.K.’s Disability Discrimination Act 2005 prohibits discriminating against anyone living with HIV. The National AIDS Trust is calling for the government-run Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to update its policies and provide specific guidance for educators and school officials on HIV transmission. The Guardian reports that despite the trust’s outcry, the DCSF has no plans to update its existing information kits to include more detailed instruction on HIV.

In the United Kingdom, 1,500 children live with HIV, 1,000 of which are younger than 15.