What do you do when a coworker-massage therapist tells you he is HIV positive?

A massage therapist, on his first day of work, casually tells his supervisor that he is HIV positive. Supervisor is torn between telling management and compromising his employees right to privacy, and risking the therapist not taking proper precaustions to protect clients and other therapists from transmission of the disease. What can be done?

Truth of the matter is, you can be sued to divulging personal information that denies someone of their right to privacy. This is NOT your information to relay. The law is very definite on this.

The therapist is also obligated to be sure his clients and co-workers are safe. This should not be a problem as I doubt he is having sex with any of them and the chances of a blood injury from massage is slim.

Well as far as I know, you can't get HIV Aids from touching someone, so I don't know. I thought you wasn't suppose to doctor other though?

You should have unprotected sex and share needles together!

Legally it's none of your business, but your coworker must disclose his HIV status to his employer. I'm sure he's well aware of the risk factor and how to properly control exposure to clients. Don't panic, casual contact with skin, as long as he hasn't got an open sore, it's going to transmit it to clients.

Ask a doctor if that will be a problem. You might try the health section. If there is any significant danger, the supervisor must fire the man at once! He needn't explain why to the other workers, because it's none of their business.

The supervisor is responsible for the employees under him. That would include making sure all precautions are taken. Not only should the HIV positive employee practice this precaution but all employees should. There may actually be a lwa that the employee has to disclose his HIV status to his employer not just his supervisor. I would check with the labor relationship board.

Just don't have sex with him unprotected or touch is blood without gloves. That's it. Why should you be afraid? Everyone should be taking precautions whether the HIV status of an individual is known or not known. What's the problem? You need to look up universal precautions and implement them.

I am a massage therapist of 13 years in WA state. I am not sure of the rules in this case, but from a logic point of view, I'd say that the new therapist should have shown some common courtesy to his employer, his fellow workers and his future clients by disclosing all possible harmful information re his health issues. On our intake forms we expect full disclosure and honesty from our clients. Our clients should expect nothing less of us!! It seems that this disease is SO hush-hush that we run the risk of spreading it further with such Victorian attitudes of keeping it under wraps. Perhaps, this therapist can take a special course and prove with documentation that he is fully informed and, of course, clients should be given the choice of having him work on them or not?? Does your state have specific regulations regarding health care workers and full disclosure of any health issues that could endanger the public and co-workers?

The management should know, and the coworker should be taking precautions. He has the right to make a living as long as he isn't endangering anyone.

If massage therapists are licensed in your state, contact the licensing board and ask what precautions an HIV+ therapist should take, and what the licensing board's policy is on informing patients. The employer's malpractice or liability insurance carrier should also be contacted to see what advice they might have regarding the need to inform patients and/or potential liability.