Medical researchers expressed alarm last week at the conviction of Stephen
Kelly, the first person in Britain to be imprisoned for knowingly infecting
someone with HIV. The evidence on which Kelly was convicted came from a blood
sample he had provided for a study on needle sharing among drug addicts. The
participants were assured the study would be confidential, but the police
obtained a warrant forcing the researchers to hand over information showing that
Kelly had the same strain of HIV as his ex-girlfriend. Some doctors fear the
case could deter people from taking part in such research.
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