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The BBC News reports that:
The 56 Dean Street clinic in London's Soho sent out the names and email addresses of 780 patients when a newsletter was issued to people who attend the clinic. Patients were supposed to be blind-copied into the email but instead details were sent as a group email.
From an interview with one patient:
One man, a 40-year-old public sector worker, has been HIV positive for 13 years and has been using the Dean Street clinic for five. He said: "I felt sick when I realised what had happened. I first saw the email at work but ignored it as I was busy. I then looked at it when I was on the way home from work. I couldn't breathe. I'm concerned who will get this information. If it ends up in the hands of the wrong people, such as hate groups, it could be dynamite."
Further:
Fellow patient James ... said: "I was travelling back from the pride parade in Manchester on Monday when I received this email. I couldn't believe it when I got it and I've been full of worry since. I am not ready to disclose my HIV status to my wider friends or family. I fear now that I have no choice."
Finally, a friend informs me that a breach of privacy at another clinic may be widely reported within the next few days.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 03 2015, @05:50PM
> Why are we even helping people to hide the fact that they have a dangerous disease that could spread to others?
Go back to the 1980s.
If we don't give people medical privacy, they will avoid treatment all together. And then they won't even know they are contagious.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 03 2015, @10:44PM
We mandate testing. We report diseases by category, sending notification to neighbors and coworkers. We don't disclose the exact disease. For example, tuberculosis would be reported as "airborne". HIV would get reported as "sexual". (blood transmission too, but that applies to nearly everything so no point mentioning it) Leprosy would be reported as "contact". Polio and cholera would be reported as "fecal". Ebola is reported as, well, all of the above.
Nobody has to know exactly what you have, but everybody knows what general type of biohazard you are.
Embarassing? No, you'd get used to it. You'd be hearing about other people all the time, and so would everybody else. It wouldn't be such a big deal anymore. We'd all be safer this way.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by arslan on Thursday September 03 2015, @10:50PM
airborne you say? She's a WITCH!! Lets burn her!