Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
BBC News - September 29, 2005
Presidential and parliamentary elections are due in Zambia next year.
The Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) said last week that presidential candidates should be tested for HIV.
The ZMA claims the virus could have an impact on their ability to hold office. But Mr Mwanawasa said he would not publicise his medical records.
"Who told them that if I was diagnosed with HIV I would die tomorrow. I would live longer than those who look normal," Mr Mwanawasa said in a television interview .
ZMA's president Peter Mwaba said last week: "Why should you have somebody who has to be on a certain drug to work as president? HIV and Aids have a lot of mental connotations."
President Mwanawasa said that such a proposal could breach medical ethics surrounding patient confidentiality.
"If I said for doctors to practise they should undergo an HIV test otherwise they can contaminate patients, will it not be discriminatory?", the president said.
"I have no problem with undergoing an HIV test but it is going to be democratic. I do not expect this to come from doctors," he added.
Opposition party leaders have however supported the calls for HIV testing and said additional medical tests should be also included.
HIV testing in Zambia is currently voluntary and patients are not required to reveal their status nor should they be discriminated against.
HIV activists and non-governmental organisations have also been calling on Zambian leaders to undergo public HIV testing in order to encourage ordinary citizens who shun the test.
Several opposition leaders have already declared their intention to take the HIV test and disclose the results publicly
Aids has devastated the country, with one in five adult Zambians thought to be HIV positive.
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