By You Soo-sun
Health officials have failed to keep track of around 80 people in Busan who have tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
According to Rep. Jung Myung-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, Thursday, they were part of 878 people who tested positive in the port city.
The issue has recently been highlighted in Busan, where a woman arrested for prostitution was found to be HIV positive. Police said she had sex with at least 10 men between August and September last year.
Concerns are growing as it is impossible to track down the missing 80 who may also be sexually active.
Some of the missing tested positive three to four years ago, while others recently discovered their condition.
Without taking antiretroviral medicines used to slow HIV, it is possible for them to contract acquired immunity deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
It is impossible to track down the patients since a 2008 law revision abolished the requirements of health institutions to report the names of HIV positive patients and check up on them every quarter. Now, most health institutions only keep a record of the patients’ phone numbers.
“Some people give us the wrong number, making it impossible to find them. It’s very frustrating,” said a representative at a public medical center in Jin-gu, where 14 of the 80 patients had taken their tests ― the highest among all districts in the city.
“But this problem is not only confined to the missing patients. Since the 2008 revision, there’s no way to manage how people behave outside,” he said.
The cost of basic treatment is fully covered by the government, and the treatment is effective in stopping the virus from multiplying, he explained. There isn’t, however, an easy solution to manage the patients.
“The patients also have the right to privacy ― sometimes they would even complain about the phone calls we make as part of regular check ups. I wish I knew a way to secure both privacy and safety,” he said.