Dear Dr. D,

What are the chances of getting AIDS from your domestic worker? I asked my domestic to take a test and she came back as HIV-positive. Now I'm worried she can give us HIV if she does certain everyday tasks, and I'm not certain I'm willing to take the chance unless it's 100% guaranteed. Can you advise?

Thank you,
Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Sure, you can get HIV from your domestic worker... if you sleep with her.

Look, I'm sorry to be blunt, but I'm surprised after 20 years that we're still asking these kinds of questions. What angers me even more is that you first ask your worker to take the test, and then suggest she might be a danger to you and your family. Instead of seeking advice on how to help the woman, you seem to be seeking approval to let her go. And if this is the case, you should be ashamed. You, as an employer, are not required by law to provide treatment or care to your HIV-positive worker. But it should, in my opinion, be illegal to require an HIV test of your worker and then fire her if she's positive. That's coercion and that's unfair termination.

Bottom line, your worker will not give you HIV from either cooking, cleaning, touching utensils, sharing cups, washing your clothes, cleaning your toilet, or breathing in the same air space. One hundred percent, guaranteed.

Do the right thing. You asked your worker to find out her status. She did. Now it's up to you to refer her to the nearest state hospital where she can be enrolled on the government's HIV programme and given life-extending ARVs, if needed. It's asking a little and getting a lot. Not only for her, but for you in terms of peace of mind and goodwill.

With sincere regards,
Dr. D

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