# Hepatitis B and HIV --- Disease Reported **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hepatitis-b-and-hiv-disease-reported/177715 "2003-05-27T05:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hepatitis-b-and-hiv-disease-reported/177715/1 "2003-05-27T05:11:14Z")
Are these two diseases transmitted in the same manner? Is one easier to transmit? If a person is diagnosed with one these diseases, is it reported to any group? Can a person be fired from their job if they have either of these diseases? Can food handlers be fired for having hepatitis B? ---
**Author:** ![Fang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fang)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hepatitis-b-and-hiv-disease-reported/177715/2 "2003-05-27T07:38:07Z")
They are both transmitted through bodily fluid (blood and sexual fluids) exchange, and thus the major transmission modes are sexual contact, blood-blood contact, unsterile needle sharing, and in utero mother-to-infant. I assume you are talking about the US. No, diagnoses are not reported to anybody except the patient. In general, in the US, because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, you cannot be fired from your job for having a disease, and this includes both HIV and Hep B. However, the ADA makes exceptions for cases where the disability (disease) would interfere directly with the basic function of the job, so I think, e.g., a health care worker could be fired for the increased risks presented to patients. I don’t know whether this would apply to a food service worker. Also, I am not a lawyer and none of this is legal advice. I am not sure about the truth of the last two statements (starting with “However” and ending with “worker”). ---
**Author:** ![effac3d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@effac3d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/effac3d)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hepatitis-b-and-hiv-disease-reported/177715/3 "2003-05-27T11:46:35Z")
Wrong,several states require reporting of HIV cases. [http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/hivaids/hivpartner/intro.htm](http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/hivaids/hivpartner/intro.htm) “Chapter 163 of the Laws of 1998 amended PHL Article 21 (“Control of Acute Communicable Diseases”) to require the reporting of persons with 1) HIV, 2) HIV-related illness and 3) AIDS by NYS physicians and other medical providers (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, midwives) who make diagnoses and by laboratories performing diagnostic tests. (Note: HIV tests performed for research purposes only are not included.) The new law also requires that the reports contain names of spouses and sexual or needle-sharing partners known to the medical provider or who the infected person wishes to have notified.” [http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/hivaids/hivpartner/summary.htm](http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/hivaids/hivpartner/summary.htm) [http://www.metrokc.gov/health/apu/epi/epilegal.htm](http://www.metrokc.gov/health/apu/epi/epilegal.htm) “Health care providers are required to report all cases of HIV infection consistent with the provisions of chapter 246-101, provided the HIV-infected person receives health care or treatment services on or after 9/1/99. 3. Laboratories are required to report tests indicative of HIV (Western Blot assays, p24 antigen tests, viral culture tests and HIV nucleic acid tests) and tests indicative of AIDS (CD4+T-lymphocytes\<200 or 14%). (WAC 246-101-236).” [http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/hivstd/hivrept/default.htm](http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/hivstd/hivrept/default.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hepatitis-b-and-hiv-disease-reported/177715/4 "2003-05-27T11:48:32Z")
**Fang** , I’m not certain that someone with HIV/HepB could be fired from their job as a health care worker, as no real increased risk is present if standard precautions are followed. I work at a hospital and the only tests I had before getting my job were a drug test, and a skin test for tuberculosis - which is transmittable through droplets and thus a direct risk for patients coming in contact with an infected worker. At my hospital, we take no extra precautions when working with a patient with HIV/HepB, as the standard precautions that we follow are sufficient. All blood is to be treated as biohazardous, as you don’t necessarily know what the patient has been tested for recently. (I am not a lawyer, and cannot verify that the practices of my workplace are the same elsewhere.) ---
**Author:** ![Fang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fang)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hepatitis-b-and-hiv-disease-reported/177715/5 "2003-05-28T00:39:58Z")
Whoops, my mistake. Ignore whatever portion of my comments is inconsistent with those of **effac3d** and **Ferret Herder**.