The issue of HIV/AIDS-positive status disclosure has become of major importance over the past decades. Whereas at the beginning of the epidemic, the therapists felt it was their duty to inform the patient’s surroundings of the issue, the introduction of the HIV/AIDS Confidentiality Act turned this duty into a forthright crime (“Limits on confidentiality,” 2017). Although this act is quite relevant in terms of human rights safety, there is a significant disadvantage of being unable to prevent others from the infection.
The most vivid example on the matter is the case of Nushawn J. Williams, who is believed to have intentionally infected more than a dozen women across the US. The man abused unsafe sexual intercourse after the medicals had revealed to him the positive results of the HIV test (Cooper, 1999). In order to find a balance between one’s privacy and others’ safety, the following options can be introduced.
The first option may seem general, but it still requires more recognition. Although almost every modern world community resident should now be aware of the potential unsafe sex implications, there are still many people who undermine the importance of contraception. Hence, there exists a strong necessity to introduce more preventative information via specific applications, advertisements, and voluntary events (Huang, Williams, Hocking, & Lim, 2016). In such a way, the significance of carefulness can be conveyed on the level of subconsciousness.
Another important matter is the fact that people who accidentally had unsafe sexual intercourse or were forced into it, still have a chance to protect themselves from being infected. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can be taken within the first few hours after the intercourse in order to block the infection (CDC, 2019). Thus, medical specialists should tell this to both HIV/AIDS-positive and negative sexually active individuals.
Taking everything into consideration, I may conclude that the revelation of one’s HIV/AIDS status is not an option to prevent the infection from spreading. As long as many people think that informing the sexual partner on the subject is a matter of trust, no one is safe. People should, first of all, think of their health and secure their safety with the help of contraception or prophylaxis treatment. In such a way, the epidemic of HIV/AIDS, if not stopped, can be controlled.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2019). PEP. Web.
Cooper, M. (1999). Drifter says he had sex with up to 300. Web.
Huang, E. T. Y., Williams, H., Hocking, J. S., & Lim, M. S. (2016). Safe sex messages within dating and entertainment smartphone apps: a review. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 4(4), e124.
Limits on confidentiality. (2017). Web.