“Understanding the spread of infectious diseases in a population is the key to controlling them.”
AIDS is one of the most devastating infectious diseases in human history, and its cause, HIV, has been responsible for millions of infections. Every 9.5 minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV. It is estimated that there are over 56,000 new cases of HIV in the U.S. each year.
Dr. Susan Little of UC San Diego School of Medicine sheds some light on this disease and the possibility of preventing its spread. Her research tracks HIV infection by rapidly obtaining genetic information from those engaged in HIV healthcare. A discussion follows on privacy protections, the risks associated with the use of these data and their potential to significantly limit HIV transmission in communities. Dr. Little is presented by the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology in San Diego.
Watch Preventing HIV By Understanding Patterns of Transmission with Susan Little, MD.
Browse more programs from the Exploring Ethics Series.