"The leak of personal information of people living with HIV is a violation of this fundamental right to patient confidentiality. "The confidentiality of the personal and health information of anyone seeking HIV or other medical services must be safeguarded," it said in a statement late Monday. "Chinese health authorities said they have reported the incidents to police and upgraded their encryption technology. "The personal information of people infected with HIV/AIDS is protected by the law," the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement, vowing to "harshly crack down" on the crime.- AFP "They called me by name and know my identification card number, company, home address, marital status, even the time of my diagnosis and the hospital I go to," an unnamed Beijing carrier told the Southern Weekly.The World Health Organization blasted the leak as an infringement of patients’ rights and warned it could deter people from getting tested for HIV and from accessing treatment and prevention services.

Source: The Nation Bangkok July 19, 2016 07:41 UTC