Lawyers, Activists Decry Plans for Real-Name Registration in HIV Testing

(Beijing) – Calling current measures to protect confidentiality in HIV cases already deficient, NGOs and lawyers in China say the use of real-name registration in HIV testing could drive up the spread of infection by driving people away from tests.

In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, home to the second-highest number of HIV infections in China, a proposal released in February to implement real-name registration for HIV testing has stirred debate across the country. Hunan Province has already approved the use of real-name registration in HIV testing, but plans to abolish anonymous testing later this year.