Opening up the HIV/AIDS epidemic: Guidance on encouraging beneficial disclosure, ethical partner counselling and appropriate use of HIV case-reporting

Faced with the increasingly devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on individual and community well-being, and on development, life expectancy and childhood mortality, many governments have been reviewing the nature of their response to HIV/AIDS. Some have raised the issue of whether the principles of confidentiality and informed consent have hindered efforts to prevent the onward transmission of HIV. Particular concern has been expressed regarding the vulnerability of women to infection by husbands or partners who do not know their status, or refuse to reveal it or refuse to practise safe sex. This has led to calls to adopt policies such as named HIV case- reporting, mandatory disclosure of status and criminalizing the deliberate transmission of HIV.