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SINGAPORE. – The HIV-positive status of 14,200 people in Singapore, as well as their identification numbers and contact details, has been leaked online, authorities in the southeast Asian city state said Monday.
Records leaked include 5,400 Singaporeans diagnosed as HIV-positive before January 2013, and 8,800 foreigners diagnosed before December 2011, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement.
Patient names, identification numbers, phone numbers, addresses, HIV test results and medical information was included in the information leaked by a former Singaporean resident.
“We are sorry for the anxiety and distress caused by this incident,” the statement said. “Our priority is the wellbeing of the affected individuals. Since 26 January, we have been progressively contacting the individuals to notify them and render assistance.”
According to a MOH statement, the “confidential information is in the illegal possession of one Mikhy K Farrera Brochez,” a US citizen who resided in Singapore until May 2018.
That’s when Brochez was deported, after serving a 28-month prison sentence on “numerous fraud and drug-related offences.” One of the fraud charges related to Brochez’s own HIV status, which he lied about to the Ministry of Manpower.
HIV-positive foreigners were barred from entering Singapore until 2016, according to Action for Aids, a local charity. While the law has been relaxed for tourists, HIV-positive foreigners are still barred from receiving employment visas or permanent residence status. – CNN
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