AIDS: social, legal, and ethical issues of the "third epidemic".

The "first" and "second" epidemics of AIDS are considered to be the spread of HIV infection and subsequent development of AIDS cases; what has been termed the "third epidemic" is the widespread economic, social, and cultural reaction to the disease, raising crucial social, humanitarian, and legal issues. This article deals with four questions arising from these issues: (1) What is the best public health approach to people with HIV/AIDS, and what rights should they have? (2) Who should be subjected to mandatory testing? (3) Who has a right to know or be warned if someone has HIV/AIDS? and (4) How can society be protected against people who irresponsibly or deliberately set out to infect others? It is concluded that, as recommended by the World Health Organization, policies which balance concern for public health with respect for individual rights are both the most humane and the most effective ways to control the spread of AIDS.