HIV / AIDS : Social and Ethical Issues

Ethical issues in HIV/AIDS research.

Globally the HIV/AIDS epidemic has presented unique health challenges to populations, including a host of ethical and moral issues related to human life and dignity. The disease has most affected the vulnerable groups of people in the world often leading to stigma and discrimination. Currently the critical areas of concern include access to treatment and developing newer, more effective therape...

AIDS: social, legal, and ethical issues of the "third epidemic".

The "first" and "second" epidemics of AIDS are considered to be the spread of HIV infection and subsequent development of AIDS cases; what has been termed the "third epidemic" is the widespread economic, social, and cultural reaction to the disease, raising crucial social, humanitarian, and legal issues. This article deals with four questions arising from these issues: (1) What is the best publ...

Ethical issues related to HIV/AIDS: case reports.

The continents of Africa and Asia have the highest number of HIV infected persons in the world. Worldwide there are 42 million and 29.7 million (70%) are in sub Saharan Africa [United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS). Available from: www.unaids.org]. The stigma and discrimination attached to HIV/AIDS are hampering control of the disease. Family life has greatly been disrupted by the pandemic. AIDS causes ...

Legal and ethical issues relating to AIDS.

The worldwide AIDS epidemic has posed an extraordinary array of ethical and legal challenges. The work presented here reviews three issues at the heart of the matter: discrimination against HIV-infected people, the limits of confidentiality, and the exercise of coercive government powers to limit spread of the disease. Because the authors are most familiar with the U.S. experience, the review d...

Gene therapy: ethical and social issues.