What are the ethical issues of HIV treatment?

1. COST - HIV meds are expensive, but it's often that the poorest of the poor get HIV. How do we balance the need to treat these poor people with the high cost of developing medicines to treat HIV?

2. STIGMA - HIV is a highly stigmatized disease because of who it affects, how it is transmitted, and how it affects communities. In the industrialized world, you see HIV disproportionately infecting gay men and injection drug users (IDUs). Both these groups are pretty marginalized by the mainstream. In the Third World, sexual transmission is the leading risk, but it is taboo to approach the subject of sex (and rape). These places also have seen the devastation that AIDS can bring -- entire villages decimated -- so if you are known to be one of the sick people, it is not uncommon to be ostracized or BANISHED by your community. So reaching these people for testing and treatment of HIV is pretty difficult.

3. GLOBALIZATION - Many of the countries hardest hit by HIV are also the politically weakest and economically poorest. Drug companies often offer these countries experimental vaccines and clinical trials for drugs. You would think a country is at its wit's end for help would take these offers with open arms. But NO, many of these countries' leaders reject the trial drugs because they do not want drug companies to use these poor people as test subjects (human guinea pigs). There is an element of smug nationalism and pride that makes them do this, but there is also a sincere concern for the welfare for the people in case the experimental drugs do not work, or worse yet agravate sickness.

I'm not sure what you mean by ethical issues, but certainly as a global society we need to address the public health concern of letting the virus run rampant. Whether we have an ideological obligation to treat the sick depends on your worldview, but trying to limit the spread of the virus by ones means or another IS imperative. If we do find a cure or a vaccine for HIV, then I think that the only smart thing to do is to cure everyone we can regardless of ability to play. That will keep us all safer, and will also give us a clear conscience.

thats a nice answer, the above one. I think she tell you everything u need to know

I like gumdropgirl's answer... pick hers as the best one.