What legal responsibilities do STI and HIV infected youth have and what measures should they take to protect their prospective partners?
Adolescents are often forgotten in HIV and AIDS plans which seek to protect children and adults. Hence, it implies that there is lack of youth-friendly health services in different nations. The effort to collect data on the teenagers who live with HIV across the world is therefore complex since the age groups are not well defined. In this case, the STI and HIV infected youths have a legal responsibility to inform their partners about their condition. It is important to note that many states have notification laws that recommend HIV victims to tell their spouses about the dangerous infection. Failure to do this is considered as a crime because it may result in widespread of the infection to innocent people.
There are different measures that the STI and HIV infected youth can take to protect their prospective partners. For instance, they should make them aware of their risks for the diseases and delay the initiation of sexual activity. Similarly, the parties can use condoms if they are sexually active to ensure the spread of the ailment is controlled. Moreover, the victims should refrain from other behaviours, such as drug and alcohol use. This is because these practices increase HIV and STI risks.
Does the government have an obligation to protect the population from infected people?
The government should protect populations from HIV and STI victims by providing the youths, particularly those at high risk with school-based and community-based interventions. Such program emphasizes on eradicating the spread of diseases by educating society. It is essential to note that STI and HIV infection is widespread in various countries because communities are not well-informed of about the conditions. Thus, initiating this program may help many people since they will learn to protect themselves.