Doctors must report herpes to local health board
Doctors treating anyone with herpes or any other venereal disease is required by law to report to the local health board about the origins of the patients’ disease.
Chapter 299
The Public Health
Section 2. Local boards of health – diseased persons – physicians to report.
It shall be the duty of every licensed physician, of every superintendent or manager of a hospital dispensary and of every person who gives treatment for a venereal disease, to mail to the local board of health of the city, town, or township located in the state of Iowa, and where the disease occurs, a card or report blank supplied by the state board of health, stating the age, sex, color, marital condition and occupation of such diseased person, the nautre and previous duration of such disease and its probable origin; such card or report blank to be mailed immediately after the first examination or treatment of such diseased person, provided, that except as hereinafter required, the name and address of such diseased person shall not be reported to the local board of health.
Approved April 22, 1919
It makes perfect sense for several reasons.
If you don’t record incidence of disease, you can’t track disease progression and treatment efficacy.
Marriage makes a huge difference in disease transmission. Statistical analysis shows that a treated HSV patient (a patient that is taking acyclovir) in a committed relationship has a 4% chance (approximately) per year of transmitting the disease to their partner. Therefore the longer a treated patient and their partner stay together the greater the likelihood HSV transmission occurs. Basically, in time, it will be another case. In single patients with HSV each contact with a new partner presents a unique opportunity of HSV transmission. HSV is a disease with a gift that keeps on giving for the rest of your life. Be careful out there. Get yourself and your partner tested.
Makes sense to a degree, although why is it their business if the individual is married.