On Oct. 30 2009, to the applause of the global public health community, U.S. president Barack Obama announced the repeal of an archaic and discriminatory policy that bans HIV positive people from entering the country. The ban will be officially lifted in early 2010.

Only ten other countries lay claim to similar travel bans, including Armenia, Brunei, Iraq, Libya, Moldova, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Sudan, according to the advocacy group Immigration Equality.

Upon Obama's announcement, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon called on other nations to follow suit. Ban has pushed for repeals since the beginning of his term, stating that such bans "should fill us all with shame."