AIDS: screening of possible carriers and human rights

Like other serious infectious diseases, AIDS gives rise to a fundamental conflict between personal rights and public health. The recently developed test to detect antibody to the viral agent for AIDS is now predominantly being used to screen blood donors but it may spread to other settings. The possibility to demonstrate who is positive for the AIDS virus has raised a number of questions concerning the report-ability and confidentiality of test results; the right not to know and not to be informed about carrier status; the importance of informed consent as a requirement for testing; and the civil liberties of persons demonstrated to be seropositive. It is argued that public health policies should respect individual freedom and responsibility, not only because basic human rights are at stake, but also because such an approach is likely to be more effective in controlling the disease.