Response to news that an obstetrician/gynaecologist has AIDS.

This paper summarises the response of a district health authority, in March 1993, to the diagnosis of AIDS in a consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist. A helpline was established, facilities to test for HIV antibody were arranged, and patients upon whom the infected doctor had performed surgical procedures in the preceding 10 years were identified from local records. Letters were sent to patients who did not contact the helpline, with advice and the offer of HIV antibody testing.