A 45-year-old man comes to the physician for HIV testing. He says that he has been having an extramarital affair with a woman for 6 months, and he hopes this affair will continue because it has made him very happy. He has no plans to tell his wife about the affair. The wife is also a patient of the physician. Physical examination shows no abnormalities, and the result of a serum HIV antibody test is negative. Which of the following is the most appropriate action by the physician? (A) Alert the local public health department to the patient's activities (B) Explain to the patient that one of them must tell the wife about the affair for her own safety (C) Refer the patient for counseling (D) Say nothing about the affair to anyone other than the patient (E) Tell the patient's wife about the affair so she can make an informed decision about possibly being placed at risk in the future
