In most cases, the possible or actual contraction of a disease is not considered a personal injury and therefore is not covered by ACC, a corporation spokeswoman says.
The corporation did not make a specific statement about the case of an Oamaru farm worker who has engaged a lawyer to challenge an ACC decision not to compensate him for costs related to medical tests and treatment he might need after giving mouth-to-mouth to an HIV positive workmate, ACC senior media adviser Stephanie Julian said.
The woman died this month at the scene of a crash on the farm where the pair worked. Her colleague said the woman had been a great person and he would do the same again, but was disappointed ACC would not cover the costs of a precautionary test and medication he had to take after learning the woman was HIV positive.
A Dunedin couple, who discovered the man to whom they administered CPR in Dunedin last month had Hepatitis C, have also expressed disappointment. The couple's doctors' visits were subsequently paid for by Victim Support.
ACC covered people when they were injured and for any other conditions that might result from the injury itself, Ms Julian explained.
"There are a few circumstances when diseases are covered by ACC, for example if the disease results from the injury or if the disease is due to ongoing workplace exposure to a disease-causing agent such as asbestos."
Another situation where diseases were covered was when the risk of contracting disease was heightened by the type of work someone did.
"So if a chemist or a doctor contracts a disease due to workplace exposure, as it is part of their role, they too are covered by the ACC scheme."
Generally speaking, if a person contracted a disease either from another person or any other means that was not injury related, that person's care became the responsibility of the public health system, she said.
A Ministry of Health spokesman said any tests a person might need where there were concerns of having contracted a disease would be free if the person was referred by a general practitioner.
The cost of any drugs required depended on whether they were funded by the Government's drug-buying agency Pharmac.
