AIDS & The Law

http://www.datalounge.com/datalounge/issues/index.html?storyline=218

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta in mid-1997 began a major new push for the nationwide adoption of mandatory reporting of all new cases of HIV infection. CDC officials maintain current tracking procedures are inadequate and that the data is needed to more closely monitor the spread of AIDS.

Health care workers in more than 25 U.S. states are now required to disclose the name and address of persons testing positive for HIV to state health departments and in some cases can legally compel a patient to list his or her known sexual contacts.

Concern over discrimination and other privacy concerns have long argued against such pro-active tracking methods, but the effectiveness of early treatment is wearing down these objections. Even AIDS service agencies such as the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York City are moderating their long-standing opposition to mandatory reporting methods. GMHC recently endorsed a coded numbering system used in Texas, Vermont and Massachusetts as part of a sweeping New York AIDS notification bill.