In BC. A doctor must report the STD to your spouse and there is a record. So much for privacy and confidentiality!:
Source:
http://www.stdresource.com/faq/index.php
Hi Noob888
There is a law called the VD act that states that partners of a reportable STI (gonorrhea, chlamydia or syphilis) are required to be tested and treated.
Infections like herpes, pubic lice (crabs), Trichomonas, genital warts, non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) etc… are not reportable infections and are not covered under the VD act.
If you test positive the first thing we do is give you treatment and then discuss partners. The partners you need to tell really depend on what type of infection you have.
For infections like gonorrhea and chlamydia we will ask about partners in the last 2 months.
For syphilis we go back either 3 months, 6 months or 1 year depending on what stage of syphilis.
Partners can be informed either by the person who tested positive or by the person following up on the case. Most doctors in BC either get the client to tell their partners or if the client does not want to they will usually pass it on to the public health nurses to call.
When the public health nurse calls they never give the details of the person who tested positive. They usually just say “someone who is concerned about you wanted you to know that…….
If you have a spouse or SO we will encourage you to tell them rather than public health giving them a call. Also I have seen many occasions where the spouse or SO don’t have to be involved because the client is not having sex with them.
We would never contact your spouse without working out a plan with you. We understand that this is a very difficult situation with potential life changing outcomes. I have been involved with situations where we coach the person on what to say as well as times where we can be present to provide support.
In most situations we find that the person who tested positive is concerned about their partner and wants them to get treatment as there can be serious outcomes to having an STI if it is not treated. Also if your partner is not treated there is a good chance that you will get the infection back again.
If anyone wants anymore information about this topic just let me know.
If you ever need any help with this process just let me know.
HN