Instead, the only acceptable policy is one that relies on voluntary efforts by informed, motivated persons, who must remain constantly vigilant to the dangers of spreading the AIDS virus and of becoming infected themselves. Public health measures adopted by governments must therefore include more comprehensive and concerted efforts at education and health promotion than have so far taken place. However, quarantining the individuals who have positive tests for the virus is not ethically acceptable, because it would result in the confinement of people who are not dangerous to others (because they would not commit the types of acts known to spread the disease). Isolation becomes acceptable the more serious the disease, the more difficult it is to cure or treat, the wider the range of transmissibility, the less effective the modes of prevention, and the shorter the period of the isolation. AIDS does not meet all these criteria. Improved measures to prevent homosexual rape in prisons and the isolation of seropositive prisoners who have sexually assaulted other prisoners are the most appropriate means of dealing with the AIDS risk in prison. Prostitutes should also be encouraged to have their blood tested and advised to have their patrons use condoms if the test results are positive. Taking more extreme measures against people testing positive for the AIDS virus would have sweeping and adverse consequences for society, eroding existing rights and introducing totalitarian features. 3 references.