Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

The AIDS epidemic has had a devastating impact on society in general and on the workplace in particular. Cases are a rising with increasing frequency in which judges and arbitrators must delineate the respective rights of employers, unions, HIV-infected individuals and coworkers.

AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; it is an infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, which destroys the white blood cells in the body that prevent infectious diseases. A blood test will reveal antibodies to the virus; a seropositive result indicates infection in a person exposed to the virus. An HIV -positive individual may remain asymptomatic, may develop diseases or symptoms associated with AIDS without d eveloping AIDS itself, which is referred to as "AIDS-related complex" (ARC), or a person may develop full-blown AIDS.