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Voluntary Disclosure Of Hiv/Aids Status By A Public Health Official To Law Enforcement Agents: The Shortcomings Of South Dakota's Law Section 34-22-12.1(6) And Traditional Public Health Measures, Daniel C. Moon

Daniel C Moon

Section 34-22-12.1(6) of South Dakota’s Codified Laws grants the Secretary of the Health Department to disclose private medical information regarding an individual’s HIV/AIDS status if he or she thinks that that individual is engaged in intentionally infecting another person with HIV/AIDS. This law is problematic because it does not (1) adequately protect an individual’s privacy, and (2) achieve its public health goals. From the privacy aspect, it provides less protection to information regarding an individual’s HIV/AIDS status from three aspects: (1) less protection than the same information possessed by covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), …