HIV REPORTING: Haynes Introduces Names-Based Measure
State Sen. Raymond Haynes (R-Riverside) has introduced a bill that would require the state to institute a names-based HIV reporting system. In addition, the measure (SB 1029) would instruct the state Department of Health Services to create a voluntary partner notification and contact tracing system. Dr. Cary Savitch, head of the group Beyond AIDS, who is sponsoring the legislation, said it is "a shame that we don't track HIV the same way we do 52 other communicable diseases in the state." He said that even if it were true the names-based reporting deterred people from getting tested, public health officials should work to change this perception and behavior rather than basing public health policy on fear. Fred Dillon of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation said his organization is "strongly opposed" to the measure, arguing that codes-based system would be a much more effective way of tracking HIV. A names-based system would deter people from getting tested and would result in fewer people knowing their status, he said (Rachel Kennedy, California Healthline).
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