If you have hepatitis C, you are under no legal obligation to tell
others. However, the law may change. Right now, it is up to you to decide
whether to tell anyone of your hepatitis C status. Some people, (and
unfortunately some health care providers also) may have judgmental
attitudes or unnecessarily exaggerated fears of infection. People should
carefully consider whom they inform, in the light of possible
discrimination. How people might have caught the virus is not
important. Those who have the hepatitis C virus are covered by
anti-discrimination laws.
Recent cases where patients have been infected by physicians has raised the ethical issue of whether or not infected physicians should be banned form performing invasive procedures. So far nothing has been done in this respect (Milbank Q 1999;77(4):511-29) Infected physicians and invasive procedures: national policy and legal reality; Rev Med Virol 2000 Mar;10(2):75-78 Surgeons who test positive for hepatitis C should be transferred to low risk duties).
