title: The legal situation concerning notification of sexual partners of HIV/AIDS patients in Costa Rica: problems in contact tracing.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Ombudsman, Desamparados, San José, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: Carlos J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Valerio
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016358:Contact Tracing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003364:Costa Rica; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D006806:Human Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012747:Sexual Partners; D018454:Spouses