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At-Home
AIDS Test Raises Health Issues |
Posted:
11.30.05
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People around the world come together on Dec. 1 each year for
World AIDS Day, a time to commemorate those lost to the deadly
disease and to celebrate progress made to stop its spread. One
way of preventing the spread of the disease is early detection
of the HIV virus, which some say could be more easily done at
home.
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With nearly a quarter of the million HIV infected people in the
United States unaware that they have been exposed to the HIV virus,
many health care officials wonder if an at-home AIDS test would
encourage more people to undergo HIV testing.
 Currently,
the government is considering whether to allow the first rapid,
at-home AIDS test to be sold in stores.
The OraQuick rapid HIV-1 test is currently only sold to physicians
and clinics.
If approved, Americans would be able to screen for the HIV virus
in the privacy of their own homes.
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A quick HIV
test |
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To take the OraQuick test, an individual swabs his gums and then
places the saliva coated strip in a holder.
Twenty minutes later the strip shows either one line for negative
or two lines for positive.
While some health officials feel that an over-the-counter AIDS
test might compel more people to undergo HIV testing, others say
tests must come with counseling to help people deal with the results.
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Teenagers
coping with at-home test results |
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A positive home test result could spark panic or even suicide,
says Dr. Philippe Chiliade, who serves as the medical director
at The Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, DC.
 "If
there is a young gay man, who is not open to his family and he
finds out that he is HIV positive, he will have great difficulty
dealing with these results by himself," Dr. Chiliade said.
"One of the big threats of this test is that people will
not have the support that they need if the test is positive."
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Understanding
the test results |
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Another major drawback to the HIV test is that it does not detect
the virus right away. It usually takes between two to twelve weeks
after exposure for an infected individual to test positive.
 Without
understanding this critical information, a teenager who may have
been exposed to the virus could take an at-home HIV test, test
negative, and continue to engage in risky behavior.
Dr. Chiliade pointed out that 50% of the 40,000 new HIV cases
each year are transmitted by people who have been recently infected
and are unaware they are infected.
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Counseling
and emotional preparedness |
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Why is counseling such an important part of HIV testing?
People who realize they should take a test are already at risk,
counselors say, and need to take "ownership" of any
risky behavior.
Dr. Chiliade notes, "At the Whitman Walker Clinic we need
to make sure that people who come to us for HIV testing are able
to understand what the test results mean. Even if the test is
negative, we still need to tell them what they can do to remain
healthy."
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Benefits
of an at-home test for teenagers |
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While an at-home HIV test has the potential for devastating psychological
effects on teenage users, the benefits could also be tremendous.
"The major benefit for this test would be if it would prompt
a teenager into care. There might be a kid who wants to find out
results in private and then armed with the results will go see
a doctor," says Susan Rosenthal, Director of Adolescent and
Behavioral Health at the University of Texas.
 Dr.
Rosenthal also believes that an over-the-counter HIV test could
lead to a much needed dialogue about sex.
"The data shows that teenagers want to talk about STDs and
sex with doctors more than they bring it up," she says.
"To the extent that this test could serve as a jumping off
point for conversation among teens with their parents and doctors
then it might be a good option."
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Education
and health awareness |
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At the end of the day, perhaps the most important issue underlying
the at-home teenage HIV testing debate is health awareness and
education.
"Preventive health care is not something that young people
understand very well. They think they are healthy. Even if they
are HIV-negative, there are a lot of things they need to do to
remain healthy. Education is very important," Dr. Chiliade
notes.
A good place for teenagers to learn about teenage sexual health
issues is iwannaknow.org, a Web site operated by the American Social
Health Organization.
--
By Allison Hertz for NewsHour Extra
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American schools and financial aid should be only for legal citizens of the United States. There should be no exceptions to this.
