Ethical Dilemma : HIV/AIDS vs SARS

[Guest guest]

Friends,

I have the following comparative ethical dilemma. Can

anyone answer me ? What should be done ?

Let me explain and then ask.

Vietnam is successfully controlling SARS. Question is

why others are not. It leads to lot of discussions ,

debates and analysis into strategies adopted to combat

it. Vietnam also claims that they can succeed in

HIV/AIDS control if they have taken it seriously like

as SARS.

In this context among strategies taken by the nations,

ETHICS is one of the foremost issue across the

world.Why is it so important?

HIV transmission basiccally is by three ways-sexual,

bloodborne or foetplacental. Now taking all preventive

measures you can prevent its transmission

(? foetoplacental) .Where as in SARS , the panic is

much more because the mode of transmission is

droplet.Hence, unlike HIV, here chance of transmission

remains even more, for a health care provider and

susceptible people though they adopt prevtive

measures. We know there remains debate on efficacy of

preventive measures on SARS. Examples are there when

clinicians developed SARS ,only because they wanted to

treat SARS. Contrarily ,in HIV such possibilities are

less .

Hence my ethical dilemma is that:

1. Can suspected person having SARS be quarantined

agianst his will?

2.Can a SARS positive individual be declared postive

agains his consent?

3.Can a doctor refuse treating SARS patients ?

4. Can a pilot of airlines refuse services to SARS

affected countries?

You yourself answer these questions for both HIV and

SARS positive individuals . You will be under dilemma

.. What exactly we should do in ethical perspectives

for SARS positive cases ! It is obviously not a

similar situation in comparison to HIV/AIDS.

Can you please answer me ?

Dr Arup

E-mail: <arup_dr@...>