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London sexual health clinic leaks HIV statuses of 780 patients

By Andrew V. Pestano

LONDON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The 56 Dean Street sexual health clinic in London mistakenly leaked the HIV statuses of 780 patients in a newsletter sent Tuesday.

The names and email addresses of the patients were delivered in an email to people who regularly visit the clinic. The information was supposed to be blind-copied, but the details were sent as a group email due to a "human error" by a staff member, clinic officials said.

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An investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office, Britain's data protection watchdog, is likely to be launched. The maximum fine for breaches of data protection in England is about $760,000.

The newsletter was delivered to about 780 patients who were previously seen at the clinic and signed up for its OptionE service, which allows people to book appointments and receive test results via email.

The clinic is run by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital of Britain's National Health Service trust, which has the largest sexual health service in Europe.

"If my details were on that list I would feel angry and disappointed at the clinic for having such a [explicit] system that this can happen," Elliot Herman, 38, a Londoner who has friends whose names were leaked, told The Guardian.

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Dr. Alan McOwan, the director for sexual health at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital National Health Service trust, apologized in an email shortly after the leak.

"I'm writing to apologize to you. This morning at around 11:30 a.m. we sent you the latest edition of OptionE newsletter," McOwan wrote in the apology. "This is normally sent to individuals on an individual basis but unfortunately we sent out today's email to a group of email addresses. We apologize for this error."

McOwan wrote that the email was recalled and deleted as soon as the clinic realized the mistake, urging people to delete it if found in their inbox.

"Clearly this is completely unacceptable. We are urgently investigating how this has happened and I promise you that we will take steps to ensure it never happens again," McOwan added.

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