Mandatory HIV Screening: Ethical Issues Essay

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Updated: Feb 21st, 2024

Screening is a process leading to the identification of a condition or disease in an individual. In the case of disease, it is used to identify its presence before symptoms develop. Screening programs are designed for use in either the general population or in a subset of the population (Raffle &Muir, 2007). Criteria that a program must meet before it is implemented have been put forward by the World Health Organization. Rigid application of these guidelines can curtail the implementation of a beneficial screening program. Other challenges facing screening programs include stigma, overdiagnosis, discrimination, and reduced quality of life (Dausset, 1997).

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Mandatory screening of people for HIV has both potential benefits and challenges. Mandatory screening leads to early detection of the infection before it develops into AIDS. This is beneficial to both the individual and the state. The individual benefits from early and better treatment. This is because HIV is an infection that has a long incubation period. Early treatment and management of HIV can improve the quality of life of patients.

HIV can be successfully managed through lifestyle modification. This includes but is not limited to proper nutrition. Mandatory screening may also allow individuals to obtain anti-retroviral drugs early. This can be linked to the fact that mandatory screening would compel individuals to closely monitor their white blood cell counts. Mandatory screening can compel non-infected members of society to behave responsibly. Infected people can also be compelled by law to disclose the information.

Other members of society can then make informed decisions based on this information. The state can also benefit from this kind of screening programs in terms of planning and budgeting for the health sector. The government can use the statics obtained from the program to make decisions regarding additional health facilities and personnel. Another potential benefit to the state is the minimization of wastage. Budgeting with exact figures ensures that the state spends a particular amount of money during a given period.

Mandatory screening of HIV before its symptoms appear may prolong the lifespan of an individual because of lifestyle modification and adoption of other intervention measures. However, this does not necessarily translate to improved quality of life. It may hurt it because a person has to live with the knowledge of the condition for longer which subjects one to the constant fear of disease development. Mandatory screening raises both moral and legal issues. People living with the infection can be subjected to discrimination in various sections of society. A positive status may deny one an employment opportunity (Schulte, Lomax, Ward, Colligan, 1999).

Mandatory screening may propagate stigma which has been singled out as one of the barriers to the effective management of HIV. Most countries in the world have laws designed to safeguard the privacy, dignity, and rights of their citizens. Mandatory screening programs in such states would face tremendous legal challenges. This is because it would be branded as an oppressive program.

References

Dausset, J. (1997). Predictive medicine and its ethics. Pathol. Biol, 45 (3), 199–204.

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Raffle, E., &Muir, G. (2007).Screening – Evidence and practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Schulte, P., Lomax, P., Ward, M., Colligan, M. (1999). Ethical issues in the use of genetic markers in occupational epidemiologic research. J. Occup. Environ. Med, 41 (8), 639–46. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2024) 'Mandatory HIV Screening: Ethical Issues'. 21 February.

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IvyPanda. 2024. "Mandatory HIV Screening: Ethical Issues." February 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mandatory-hiv-screening-ethical-issues/.

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IvyPanda. "Mandatory HIV Screening: Ethical Issues." February 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mandatory-hiv-screening-ethical-issues/.

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