HIV patients to be tracked in all 50 states.

[Ardent Listener]

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/app...EWS01/70402003

HIV patient names to be tracked in all 50 states by year’s end
The Associated Press

CHICAGO — The names of people infected with HIV will be tracked in all 50 states by the end of 2007, marking a victory for federal health officials and a quiet defeat for AIDS advocates who wanted to keep patients’ names out of state databases.

Vermont, Maryland and Hawaii, the last states not tracking the names of HIV-positive people, are quickly moving toward adopting names-based surveillance. Washington, D.C. and eight other states, including Montana, Washington and Oregon, began collecting the names of HIV patients last year. Massachusetts switched in January.



The states are bowing to federal pressure so they won’t lose money for medications and health services for patients.

This is the first year federal funding has been tied to names-based surveillance of HIV. More than $1.4 billion in federal money will be distributed this fiscal year based on new formulas that include numbers of people with HIV counted by states using names. In some states, including Illinois, millions of dollars are at stake.

That’s why advocates say they’ve quit fighting — although they still worry that collecting names will deter some people from getting tested and seeking treatment, and about the possibility of names being released due to security breaches.

“I have patients who are very high-profile individuals — physicians in practice, people who are politicians” who don’t want their real names reported, said Dr. Dan Berger, medical director of NorthStar Healthcare in Chicago’s Lincoln Park.

In a 2005 security breach in Palm Beach County, Fla., the names of 6,500 HIV and AIDS patients were mistakenly e-mailed to 800 county health workers. Other security breaches have occurred in California and Kentucky.

Some worry that names-based reporting could have the greatest effect on whether minorities and the poor get tested and treated because they may be less likely to trust the government to keep their names secret.
Reporting names “can affect if (disadvantaged people) come back for care and it can affect how they describe to other people their experience of getting tested,” said Catherine Hanssens of New York’s Center for HIV Law and Policy.
There are an estimated 40,000 new HIV infections annually in the United States.

 

[kiwimac]

Why?

HIV is one of those really hard diseases to catch.

 

[Jessica Magan]

I sincerely hope these new laws won't prevent the public from keeping up with their personal health. I realize reputation means a lot. But if I had to choose between the two I'd probably choose my health and well being. I pray there will be a day the stigma attached to this illness will be lifted, because when it comes yo AIDS and HIV knowledge really is power.

 

[jamaesi]

When my mother was pregnant with me (about 20 years ago) she worked for a dentist. One of the patients she worked on one day had a difficult procedure and there was a lot of blood and sharp objects.

He called the office the next day to let them know he had AIDs. You know, after my mother could have taken more steps to prevent any possible transmission of the virus to herself and I. Thank G-d she (and I) did not get it.


Your rights end where mine begin. If someone has to be at risk to treat you then you DAMN WELL better make sure they know what their risks are so they can better protect themselves. If people aren't responsible enough to do so, so if we have to force them, then fine. It's so scary to work on someone in a medical office where there is a lot of bodily fluids and sharp pointy objects going around- and you don't know what the person you're dealing with has. There is patient confidentiality for a reason- mistakes like the ones in the OP happen, but that's rare.

 

[Ðanisty]

Well, the bottom line is that doctors should be treating every patient as if they had HIV. Then we wouldn't have the problems that jamaesi describes (although you have to realize that was 20 years ago and people's awareness of the problem and what they should do about it were quite different then).

 

[Ciscokid]

Why?

HIV is one of those really hard diseases to catch.

Oh yeah? Then why are there millions infected?

 

[SoyLeche]

Oh yeah? Then why are there millions infected?

In the US - largely because they participated in activities that increased their risk dramatically. Others result from the fact that even low probablity events still happen occasionally.

In Africa - it's pretty hard to avoid in some places. It's not hard to get there.

 

[jamaesi]

Well, the bottom line is that doctors should be treating every patient as if they had HIV. Then we wouldn't have the problems that jamaesi describes (although you have to realize that was 20 years ago and people's awareness of the problem and what they should do about it were quite different then).

I do realise that was 20 years ago and thngs were different back then, that's why I included that.

We do treat all patients like they have every disease known to man- but screw-ups happen. While I worked at the surgeon's office the staff got stuck with used needles on accident three times. How are they even supposed to know what to start to test for, what symptoms they need to be looking out for if patients can lie to us. We aren't going to refuse treatment, we just want to protect themselves.

The bottom-line is if someone knows the procedure they have to get done and they know it will put the person treating them at risk and they can't be bothered to let them know?... They're the scum of the earth to me. I don't deserve to die because you can't live up to the fact that you have something. Honestly, whenever I think about this I would do anything to go and just... strangle this person for doing that to my mother. He knew he had AIDs and and then calls the next day going "you might want to get an AIDs test!"

 

[michel]

When my mother was pregnant with me (about 20 years ago) she worked for a dentist. One of the patients she worked on one day had a difficult procedure and there was a lot of blood and sharp objects.

He called the office the next day to let them know he had AIDs. You know, after my mother could have taken more steps to prevent any possible transmission of the virus to herself and I. Thank G-d she (and I) did not get it.

There have been cases of people with HIV who have put others at risk - some, even on purpose; a man here was charged for having had unprotected sex with women when he was aware that he was infected.

This is a very difficult subject; the right of both sides need to be weighed up. As long as people don't "freak out" (morally or religiously) at HIV sufferers, then I can see the benefits of them being recorded as being sufferers. But knowing what the Religious right has been accused of, in America, I just don't know..........

 

[jamaesi]

There have been cases of people with HIV who have put others at risk - some, even on purpose; a man here was charged for having had unprotected sex with women when he was aware that he was infected.

And though this is off-topic, I see that as murder. First degree.

This is a very difficult subject; the right of both sides need to be weighed up. As long as people don't "freak out" (morally or religiously) at HIV sufferers, then I can see the benefits of them being recorded as being sufferers. But knowing what the Religious right has been accused of, in America, I just don't know..........

I have no moral or religious reason to "freak out"- I think MY HEALTH is enough for me to be concerned this.

This is one of the many reasons I'll never go into the health care field like I was thinking about. People lie. I'd never refuse treatment against a person who had any disease, I'd just be extra-careful around them and with the instruments used on them.

 

[Ardent Listener]

Well, the bottom line is that doctors should be treating every patient as if they had HIV. Then we wouldn't have the problems that jamaesi describes (although you have to realize that was 20 years ago and people's awareness of the problem and what they should do about it were quite different then).

BINGO! I do.