HIV & related ethical dilemmas

 

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I am unable to make a post even after your invitation. I am not technologically inclined. So here is what I would have posted and here is my PowerPoint presentation.

Today I will be discussing HIV and different implications of ethical dilemmas it presents.  

First, we will talk about the disease itself, what cells the virus attacks and how it spreads. There have been multiple treatments for the disease that slow the spread to other cells but so far HIV is not curable or fully preventable should exposure occur. However, there is new Stem Cell research that has recently come out that seems to be able to prevent the disease and will soon go into human trials. 

The virus attacks CD4 T cells and spreads throughout them. HIV is a latent virus, meaning it does not have to immediately take hold of the individual, but after 10-15 years in some cases it will become active again and start to kill the host due to the poor immune system. It also is a large killer of infants especially within Africa, in some areas 50% of the woman who are pregnant are found to have HIV. 

How should we prevent the spread of HIV, do we have the ethical and legal power to go into poorer countries and mandate certain things? Should we provide drug users with clean and safe needles?  

References 

• Moderna Launches Clinical Trials for HIV Vaccine, Ralph Ellis, https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20220128/moderna-hiv-vaccine 
• HIV Transmission, CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/transmission.html#:~:text=Most%20people%20who%20get%20HIV,can%20help%20prevent%20HIV%20transmission.  
• How to Treat HIV, NIH, https://hivinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv/fact-sheets/hiv-treatment-basics 
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Medicine Net, https://www.medicinenet.com/image-collection/hivaids_picture/picture.htm 0