This paper explains that, even if the HIV infection is currently dormant, the immune system produces antibodies to combat
the virus which are ineffective, but their presence indicates an HIV infection. The author points out that the consensus among the medical community about the transmission of AIDS states that there is no evidence that the disease can be
transmitted through such activities as casual contact, hugging, kissing or through the air or saliva: AIDS can be transmitted only through direct sexual contact, blood transfusions, hypodermic needles and from mothers to their unborn babies. The paper stresses that the central controversy in the
surveillance of AIDS is not the reporting requirement, but how these records might be used. Table of Contents Introduction Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome "The Plague" Public Health Conclusion