MIAMI, March 16 (AFP) - Authorities in Florida have launched an investigation after AIDS and HIV-positive patients received anonymous letters indicating that their names and medical condition were on a county public health services list, a spokesman said Wednesday.
The letters violate the patients' privacy rights and expose them to possible discrimination if their information is made public, said Palm Beach County Health Department spokesman Tim O'Connor.
"It is extremely serious," he said.
The case was turned over to law enforcement authorities for criminal prosecution, O'Connor said.
Authorities are investigating whether the letters are linked to a Palm Beach County Health Department list of 4,500 AIDS patients and 2,000 HIV-positive patients that was accidentally e-mailed to department employees last month.
The anonymous letter reads: "Your name appeared on a list of HIV/AIDS patients for Palm Beach County."
"I'm very upset about this," a patient who received an anonymous letter told the Palm Beach Post newspaper. "I've been HIV-positive for a long time and, thankfully, I'm OK, but I'm looking for a job. Who is going to hire me if someone reveals my HIV status? This is a terrible thing."
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