Over the last three decades, HIV/AIDS has become one of the most well-known and widespread diseases in the modern world. Its discovery in the late 1970s sparked worldwide concern. The aspect that has become most troublesome about the HIV/AIDS epidemic is prevention. Preventing or stopping disease transmission is hampered by factors such as: refusal or non-acceptance by infected people, unprotected sexual intercourse, and failure of infected people to disclose to their at-risk sexual partners. According to Alghazo, Upton, and Cioe (2011): Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the precursor to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is prevalent in the United States. The October 2008 Center for Disease Control (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) estimated that 1,106,400 people living in the United States and the District of Columbia were living with HIV. Among those living with the disease, nearly 1 in 5 (21%) did not know they had it. Furthermore, healthcare workers and counselors have been challenged by the multiple consequences of this disease, particularly denial of the condition and self-imposed isolation. When a person discovers they have the disease, it is up to them to disclose their positive status to their sexual partner. (S). The fact that the person may be married or sexually promiscuous does not matter, that person is the only one who has the right to disclose that information. One of the major arguments about the HIV/AIDS dilemma centers on doctor-patient confidentiality. Views on this topic are vast and strong and, when challenged, clash with a plethora of medical, ethical and legal arguments. By law, no one except that person is allowed to reveal their positive status. paper....bordered. Retrieved April 19, 2011, from the Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethicsEdwards, KA “Confidentiality.” Ethics in medicine. University of Washington School of Medicine. 1998.Web. April 17, 2011. Mair, J. (2009, June). Duty of Confidentiality PD v. Harvey. Journal of Health Information Management. Excerpt from Murphy, T.F. (2009) When it comes to HIV infection, some are more equal than others. The Hastings Center report. Excerpt from Gale Opposing views in context. Principles (nd) Ethics in computing. North Carolina State University. Retrieved from www.ethics.csc.ncsu.edu/basics/principles/study.phpUnderstanding AIDS & HIV. (n.d.). Understanding AIDS and HIV. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from http://www.understanding-aids-hiv.com