What is Molecular HIV Surveillance and does it put me at risk? CHLP (2024)

CHLP authored this in-depth look at the practice of Molecular HIV Surveillance (MHS) and explains its framework, goals, and concerns. MHS is a form of public health surveillance utilized by public health officials to address gaps in HIV treatment and prevention. However, public health officials are analyzing patient HIV data without their notice or consent, a practice that has generated concerns among people living with HIV and their advocates. In a nation with porous health data privacy laws and robust criminalization of PLHIV, the use of MHS erodes trust among people affected by HIV at the same time it puts them at risk of further criminalization.