Singapore Informs Spouses of HIV-Positive Individuals of Partners’ Status

Singapore's Ministry of Health has begun informing the spouses of HIV-positive people about their partners' HIV status in an effort to fight the spread of the virus, Reuters reports. According to the text of a speech made on Monday by Senior Minister of State for Health Balaji Sadasivan and posted on the MOH Web site, the ministry since July has delivered letters to 41 women informing them that their husbands are HIV-positive (Reuters, 12/6). "Marriage and the women's own fidelity are not enough to protect them against HIV infection. Most have been infected despite staying faithful to their partner," Sadasivan said (Sadasivan speech, 12/5). The letters advise the women to get tested for HIV and offer information about counseling services. The ministry said two of the women who were alerted have tested HIV-positive. Out of Singapore's 2,584 recorded HIV cases, 954 people have died, 631 have developed AIDS, and 999 show no symptoms, according to Reuters (Reuters, 12/6).