HIV Care and Ethics

Soon after HIV was first described in 1981, the virulence of the disease and the stigma attached to its transmission by means of intravenous drug use and risk-taking sexual behavior produced what came to be known as HIV exceptionalism—treating those with the disease differently than patients with other infectious diseases. HIV is now treatable and becoming a chronic disease. But authors in this issue argue that the legacy of exceptionalism still produces stigma and discrimination against those who live with HIV and can affect the quality of their medical care.

Volume 11, Number 12: 927-1019 Full Issue PDF
  • From the Editor
    Dec 2009

    Exceptionalism and Inclusion in the Modern HIV Era

    Melissa Gitman, MD, MPH
    Despite growing acceptance of people living with HIV, evidence of exceptionalism can still be found in clinical practice, most notably in separate consent for testing.
    Virtual Mentor. 2009;11(12):930-932. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2009.11.12.fred1-0912.
  • Case and Commentary
    Dec 2009

    A Surgeon with HIV

    Jay A. Jacobson, MD
    This case invites us to think about the real and potential risks that surgeons pose to patients. The risk of HIV acquisition from an infected surgeon appears much lower than the risk of nosocomial bacterial infections, even those with lethal potential.
    Virtual Mentor. 2009;11(12):933-937. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2009.11.12.ccas1-0912.
  • Case and Commentary
    Dec 2009

    Informing Adolescents of Perinatally Contracted HIV

    Hans M.L. Spiegel, MD and Donna Futterman, MD
    Those who care for adolescents must advocate for timely disclosure of HIV diagnosis since the negative effects of late disclosure include social isolation, anxiety, loss of trust, and depression.
    Virtual Mentor. 2009;11(12):938-943. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2009.11.12.ccas2-0912.
  • Medical Education
    Dec 2009

    HIV/AIDS Ethics Education

    Divya Ahuja, MD, Sabra Smith, MS, RN, and Charles S. Bryan, MD
    Virtual Mentor. 2009;11(12):953-957. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2009.11.12.medu2-0912.
  • Health Law
    Dec 2009

    Testing Newborns for HIV

    Kristin E. Schleiter, JD, LLM
    Virtual Mentor. 2009;11(12):969-973. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2009.11.12.hlaw1-0912.
  • Medicine and Society
    Dec 2009

    HIV/AIDS Prevention Messages

    Seth M. Noar, PhD and May G. Kennedy, PhD, MPH
    Virtual Mentor. 2009;11(12):980-987. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2009.11.12.msoc1-0912.
  • History of Medicine
    Dec 2009

    The Rise and Fall of AIDS Exceptionalism

    Gerald M. Oppenheimer, PhD, MPH and Ronald Bayer, PhD
    The alarm generated by the AIDS epidemic left civil liberties proponents fearful that traditional public health responses might be imposed on newly susceptible or infected populations.
    Virtual Mentor. 2009;11(12):988-992. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2009.11.12.mhst1-0912.