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"Law Not Affecting
HIV Testing" |
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New York's law requiring
the names of HIV-positive individuals to be submitted to the state is not
discouraging people from getting tested, according to a study by the
Department of Health's AIDS Institute. "Most people didn't even know we had
names-based reporting," said James Tesoriero, the institute's director of
program evaluation and research and the study's lead author.
The HIV Reporting and Partner Notification Act, which went into effect June
1, 2000, mandates that unless people test anonymously, the names of persons
with HIV and AIDS must be reported to state health officials. Previously,
the names of AIDS cases only were reported the state. The law also requires
that medical staff ask individuals who have tested HIV-positive to reveal
the names of their sexual partners in a bid to notify them of their
potential exposure to HIV. Providing names of sexual partners is voluntary.
Tesoriero and colleagues studied data collected between 1998 and 2004 from
several HIV testing sites and surveys of 761 high-risk people recruited from
STD clinics, gay bars, and needle exchanges. Just 26 percent of respondents
knew that positive test results are reported by name. Women and older
individuals were more likely to know about name-based reporting, while
minorities and people ages 18-24 were less likely to know. Just 5 percent of
participants cited concerns about their name being reported to the state as
a reason to delay or avoid HIV testing. Fifty percent knew that naming
sexual partners is voluntary.
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The study, "The Effect of Name-Based
Reporting and Partner Notification |
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We are providing the above information as a public
service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay
media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases
does not constitute endorsement. The above summaries were prepared
without conducting any additional research or investigation into the
facts and statements made in the articles being summarized, and
therefore readers are expressly cautioned against relying on the
validity or invalidity of any statements made in these summaries. This
CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News
Update also includes information from CDC and
other government agencies, such as background on MMWR articles, fact
sheets and announcements. |
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