WHO warning after HIV carriers leak
Print Edition
A leak of HIV carriers’ identities in China was a violation of their “fundamental rights,” the World Health Organization said, following reports that hundreds of infected people had been approached by swindlers.
More than 300 people who are HIV-positive were contacted by callers claiming to be government officials offering allowances in exchange for their banking details, the Southern Weekly newspaper reported, citing campaign group Baihualin.
The bank details were used to steal money from their accounts, while those who realized the offer was fake were threatened with the online publication of their details, the report said.
“They called me by name and knew my identification card number, company, home address, marital status, even the time of my diagnosis and the hospital I go to,” one Beijing resident told the Southern Weekly.
The WHO blasted the leak and warned it could deter people from getting tested for HIV and from accessing treatment and prevention services.
“The confidentiality of the personal and health information of anyone seeking HIV or other medical services must be safeguarded,” it said.
“The leak of personal information of people living with HIV is a violation of this fundamental right to patient confidentiality.”
Chinese health authorities said they had reported the incidents to police and upgraded their encryption technology.
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