Public health considerations of human immunodeficiency virus.

The full spectrum of HIV infection will touch the lives of millions of Americans. All people need to be aware of this health crisis and its implications on their own lives and society. Health care providers need to recognize the risks and take appropriate precautions. Millions need assessment of their personal behavior that may have permitted them to become infected or that may now be exposing them to significant risk of infection. Education and counseling are significant factors in prevention. It has been estimated that well over 1,200,000 people in the United States are presently infected with HIV. Given all of this, podiatrists must be a part of the public health team that offers education, prevention, and promotes early care to help prevent the spread of HIV infection and to permit those infected to have a chance for longer and healthier lives and, when all else fails, to be provided with appropriate and compassionate care. Individuals practicing in podiatric medicine can expect recommendations in the future that include, in addition to the CDC's Universal Precautions Policy, submitting to voluntary determination of serostatus for those who perform exposure-prone procedures. Practitioners who are HIV infected and perform exposure-prone procedures will have to disclose their status to local review panels who will determine their practice. Local panels will then monitor HIV-infected practitioners for compliance with practice limitations and report those who violate limitations or precautions to state licensing boards. Those who serve on review panels will be protected from legal challenges.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)