Posted by ForPnC on June 13, 2008 at 3:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Wrong move on this one, Governor. You just stopped a whole lot of folks from going to the doctor.

Paranoia is at rule again.

Posted by WSM on June 13, 2008 at 4:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BULL!

A contagious, lethal disease at a school? Yeah, I think that would be nice to say something. Yet, HIV is the ONLY disease with a political agenda.

Posted by ColdBeer on June 13, 2008 at 5:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Easy fix, make the testing mandatory. HIV and Hepatitis C are NOT something you take chances with.

Posted by ChrisPia on June 13, 2008 at 7:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

How about a law that would require people with communicable diseases to identify themselves to law enforcement officers when Being Questioned or arrested. For their safety.

Posted by LadyTarHeel on June 13, 2008 at 7:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Here's a thought, how about teaching students how to protect themselves so they don't have to worry about things like this. I don't know what the curriculum is for sex education here, but I know in many places, they take the just don't do it policy, which obviously not working.

Posted by jk_newhard on June 13, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Notifying school officials of communicable disease status is debatable - with reasonable and valid arguments on both sides. I do have an issue with Gov. Stanford's statement that he as a parent would like to know if his kid is sitting next to a kid with Hep C. This would lead to kids being ostracized or worse.

Parents - WE are the primary educators of our kids. Teach your kids about diseases (and how to prevent as much as possible) and the universal precautions to be used whenever they come into contact with bodily fluids.

Posted by Early on June 13, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Yea, I wish all those girls I knew in the Navy would have told me about the CLAP issue too!

Posted by ColdBeer on June 13, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

They applauded you too, Early?

Posted by Girleygirl on June 13, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Any one signing up for sport related activities should have to report HIV or Hep C status. You can't cath HIV by sitting next to someone. Then what if someone carelessly handles my information and I am discrimanted against because I have HIV?

Posted by ColdBeer on June 13, 2008 at 11:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

There was a time when we used asbestos everywhere. It was perfectly OK to install asbestos insulation and then rip it out when needed. We know better now.

As far as we know, HIV cannot be contracted through any other means than by the transfer of bodily fluids. That "may" change in the future. When you are dealing with a deadly disease that has no cure, you have to be careful.

I know a lot of people don't want to hear this, some will call me ignorant, but I would not fee comfortable sitting next to someone infected with HIV and I would also not want my kids sitting next to someone infected with HIV. There has probably already been a time in my life when I was in that situation and didn’t even know it, but I don’t want to be in that situation when I do know it.

I don't consider it discrimination, I consider it self preservation.

Posted by eyfigueroa on June 13, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Coldbeer: I’m very disappointed that you would feel that way and that you would impart such fear into your own children.

Granted you don’t want yourself or your loved ones to suffer through such terrible diseases. I can certainly relate. I would hesitate being near anyone who is obviously ill. However to fear a child or have your children do so based on fear of contracting these diseases that is VERY difficult to spread (most 2nd graders are not having sex on the playground) is indeed sad.

For the most part children who are HIV and/or Hepatitis positive are so through birth, blood transfusion, medical negligence (non-sterilized equipment) or sexual abuse. They are not responsible for their condition and they didn’t bring it upon themselves. The likelihood that they could spread the disease through casual non-sexual contact is miniscule. Your assertion that ‘someday’ the truth about transmission will come to light is not based in fact. HIV and Hepatitis have been diagnosed for over 30 years now and if the spread of the diseases haven’t become worse in that time, then I would suggest that the ‘truth’ about transmission is indeed true. In fact HIV/Hepatitis transmissions have fallen in industrialized nations because of education regarding how they are spread.

I do feel however that children involved in sports should have their status known to school district medical personnel only. The risks associated with injuries w/blood present warrants such a policy. But to have every child labeled and to have the entire faculty/staff to be privy to such information is a breeding ground for abuse and discrimination. Far too many teachers and administrators feel as you do and would consciously or subconsciously discriminate against the child. A child that is already dealing with the stigma of disease within his/her own family.

Coldbeer: You may already work with, have had dinners with, allowed your children to play with someone with HIV or Hepatitis. Unless you plan to forego leaving your home or forcing your children to also never leave the house you will NEVER be sure as to who is disease free or who is ill.

Again, I share your concern for your own health and those of your loved ones. But at what point is too much? Once we identify these children do we bar them from government schools? Do we then build special schools for them? Do we remove them from “healthy” society until they die from their diseases? I mean where does it end?

You don't call it discrimination, alright then what is it?

Posted by SCdeacinNYC on June 13, 2008 at 2:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bravo, eyfigueroa. I work for a children's organization in the HIV/AIDS section and Sanford's comments reek of the sort of stimga and discrminiation which people claim are actually driving up the HIV infection rates in America. Here, We complain that stimga and discrimination among children who are HIV positive is what is aiding the spread of the disease as well as the mortality rates of those children infected in Sub-Saharan Africa and India but it's easy to see where those "primitive" attitudes are prevalent here.

"If my son or daughter was sitting in class or was on the sporting field with a fellow student who happened to have Hepatitis C, as a parent I would want to know."

Sitting in class next to...?? That's ridiculous...what is this a 1940s leprosy scare? HIV can only be translated through bodily fluids. Medical personnel should be aware mainly for the infected child's safety but NOT anyone else's paranoid knowledge. ColdBeer if you raise your kids to treat other kids in that way, because of a disease they have no control over, it is very sad. We do know A LOT about HIV , prevention and treatment, after all one-quarter of the global health money goes to research for it (though it only accounts for a small percentage of child deaths). It's no longer a mysterious disease. It's not ebola or marburg, information is out there. It's a shame that a prominent politician would feed into such paranoia and fears.

Posted by clc13 on June 13, 2008 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I am a teacher in SC. Governor Sanford states, "If my son or daughter was sitting in class or was on the sporting field with a fellow student who happened to have Hepatitis C, as a parent I would want to know."

Under current law, the school is notified when someone is HIV positive. The school nurse and the principal are the only 2 school personal who can know that student is infected. Teachers and parents are not notified.

The best thing to do is to treat any injured person as if they are infected (gloves, proper clean-up of bodily fluids, shields for CPR, etc.). Even notifying everyone of infected individuals should not cause us to be less catious. There are alwasy going to be infected people who are still undiagnosed so it is best to use caution at all times.

And no, I do not feel that notifying teachers and parents is a good idea because those children would be ostracized for no good reason. If a child is hurt and bleeding, other children should be taught not to touch and adults should use precautionary measures as stated above.

Posted by PharmacistMike on June 15, 2008 at 5:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is a horrible veto. I don't see how releasing the HIV status of students will do anything to protect anyone and rather will reduce the desire to be tested. I guess one way to get around things is to use the one FDA-approved HIV test for home use that can be ordered anonymously online from various home health screening companies.

Posted by truth_in_knowledge on June 15, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

First of all let me say as an infection control nurse, a mother, and an HCV advocate/survivor that I never seem to get used to the ignorance people display when it comes to infectious diseases. The best thing we can do is to educate ourselves and our children about these disease not to point out who is & isn't infected with them. As someone said earlier use Universal Precautions (wearing gloves, etc. when exposed to blood and other body fluids) with everyone is the best way to avoid contracting disease. Furthermore, I feel it needs to be noted that Hepatitis C is NOT a sexually transmitted disease and therefore does not require reporting among past sexual partners. This does not mean that safe sex should be avoided against hepatitis B, HIV, and other STD's. I just wanted to clarify that Hepatitis C can only be transmitted through blood to blood contact and is not found in other body fluids like HIV & HBV. I am curious as to why some say they would like to know if their child is sitting beside someone with HIV, HCV, etc.? What sort of difference would it make? Knowing that casual contact does not put children at risk (except for those that believe science is wrong like coldbeer)it seems as if knowing would either only serve to satisfy ones own morbid curiosity or serve to teach ones children to ostrasize other based on knowledge they have no business having. This veto was clearly made from fear and ignorance. Lastly, "coldbeer" comparing asbestos and HIV is ludicrous. Lets say that you are correct and HIV is transmissible by other routes. The only route that science has proven HIV is not transmissible is airborne....correct? They say it is found in boy fluids, and blood but you can't catch it via breathing the same air or ...oh yeah ...casual contact. How then do you explain all of the people who have lived with HIV + patients and never contracted the disease? Surely there would be cases popping up where people would be testing positive for it and have no history other than casual contact with an infected person. No? Then again, maybe the government knows of such cases and has suppressed them with the "Roswell Files" & the secret of the "shooter on the grassy knoll" LOL. Wise up and get educated people t makes my job much easier! Helpful Links: http://www.liverfoundation.org/ & http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/guideli...