HIV Cremations

[GK2005]

I don't mean to offend anyone by my question but someone said to me recently that if a person who is HIV+ or suffering from AIDs dies, it is a legal requirement that their body be cremated to destroy the virus and prevent it laying dormant in the ground. It sounds a bit extreme and far fetched to me but I would like to know if this is true or just a horrible misunderstanding by ignorant people.

[GK2005]

Hi In A Pickle,

Thanks for your answer, very much appreciated. Would reply to you in person if I could but thanks for confirming my understanding.

[Octavius]

Presuming you mean in England & Wales. The main requirements for a death in England & Wales are that the death is certified by a doctor or coroner, registered with a Registrar of Births, Marriages & Deaths and the body either buried or cremated. You do not have to have a funeral ceremony, use a religious minister, or use a funeral director. A ceremony does not have to take place in a crematorium or a place of worship and you can choose the day. This applies to all deaths in England & Wales, whether caused by HIV & AIDS or not.