Hypothetical situation on transmission of HIV
AZT and other anti-HIV drugs have the potential to prevent the transmission of HIV to the children of infected mothers. But anti-AIDS drugs are too expensive for many people in developing nations.
Comment on the following hypothetical situation:
Some researchers have proposed a series of trials in which HIV-infected pregnant women are given very small doses of current anti-HIV medications. Such research has the potential to determine the smallest effective dose of medication to prevent transmission, and this could save many lives by reducing the cost of drug treatment. But such a trial could also result in HIV-infected babies being born to women with doses that were too small — a situation that could potentially have been prevented.
- What are the ethical issues here?
- What are the potential scientific and/or medical benefits? The potential costs? How do you measure the relative value of each?
- Provide an alternative option to this situation.
*Provide links/references used to get information and should be about 2-3 paragraphs long.
