The stigma associated with contracting a sexually transmitted disease was originally perpetrated within the health care system as early as the 16th century and subsequently reinforced in the wider society.
Public health officials have a responsibility to alert the public to prospective dangers without unduly restricting individual freedom or adding to the stigmatization of certain illnesses.
The legal definition of a patient and the corresponding duties of the physician have been debated in state courts for over a century, and many aspects of the question are still unresolved.
Geoff Hollett, PhD and Jennie B. Jarrett, PharmD, PhD, MMedEd
The Strategic National Stockpile is a national system maintained by the US federal government to deliver medical supplies during emergencies, and it needs administrative changes.
AMA J Ethics. 2024;26(4):E315-320. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2024.315.