Document
circulating in Omaha claims to name HIV patients

A document circulating in the Omaha area claims to identify 87 area residents as being HIV-positive, but Nebraska's Health and Human Services System says it is likely a hoax, the Associated Press reports. Health officials say they have no evidence that confidential patient files were accessed, adding that safeguards are in place to protect confidential information, including patient names. The list includes what it claims are the full names, partial names, or nicknames of 87 HIV-positive Omaha-area residents. Copies of the list have been sold for $3 to $5, health officials say, although they did not identify where or how the lists were sold. Although some Omaha residents have contacted the health department to say their full names were on the list, none of those people so far have contracted HIV or registered with the health department, health officials say. (The Advocate)