RESUMEN
Among solutions to the problems of HIV/AIDS, a public health preventive measure has been proposed to notify the sexual partners of patients, this being a justifiable exception to professional secrecy. Every such measure must conform to a legal framework in order to facilitate the task of the health care worker, to respect the patient's right to privacy and to protect life as a juridical value. The General Law governing HIV/AIDS and its Costa Rican regulations propose a procedure to notify sexual partners. This study analyses how the procedure is developing in Costa Rica as well as its legal justificaitons.
Asunto(s)
Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/prevención & control , Trazado de Contacto/legislación & jurisprudencia , Notificación de Enfermedades/legislación & jurisprudencia , Parejas Sexuales , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/transmisión , Confidencialidad/legislación & jurisprudencia , Costa Rica , Femenino , Derechos Humanos/legislación & jurisprudencia , Humanos , Masculino , Salud Pública/legislación & jurisprudencia , EspososRESUMEN
AIDS: The Health Department of Puerto Rico aborted plans to require individuals who test positive for HIV to report names of their sex partners to public health workers. The partner notification proposal will be converted to a voluntary program. The controversial provision would have required anyone who tested positive for HIV antibodies to give a list of their sex partners, including addresses and phone numbers, to the health department. Failure to comply would be punishable by fines up to $5,000. AIDS advocates and legal experts predicted that this proposal would have been unenforceable, and a disaster for HIV prevention and treatment efforts.^ieng