Provincial Health Officer's Report on HIV Reportability

This report gives a set of recommendations about making HIV a reportable disease in British Columbia. Reportability refers to sending patient data to the Centre for Disease Control for the purposes of epidemiological surveillance, and notifying HIV positive patients' partners that they may have been exposed. This report provides the findings from a review of existing literature on the subject and from consultations undertaken by the BC Ministry of Health with AIDS organizations, people affected by HIV, and government advisory councils. Recommendations include adding HIV to the list of reportable conditions in the Health Act; a non-nominal option for people being tested; the development of best practices protocols for partner notification; educating physicians about the Health Act, confidentiality and informed consent; and a future evaluation of the impact of making HIV reportable.