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HIV
Tests Become Part of Regular Check-ups |
Posted:
11.20.06
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Your next doctor appointment might include an HIV test due to
new recommendations from the government agency for infectious
diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Printer-friendly version: PDF
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The CDC now recommends that health providers make voluntary
HIV screening a routine part of medical care for all patients
aged 13 to 64.
The aim is to increase early diagnosis of the virus among the
approximately 250,000 HIV-positive Americans who are unaware that
they are infected.
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Early diagnosis
is key |
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Early diagnosis is considered critical for people infected with
HIV to live longer and to stop the spread of AIDS.
 There
is sometimes a long period of time between when a person contracts
HIV and when his or her immune system is so damaged by the virus
that the person has the disease AIDS, which makes them vulnerable
to deadly infections.
Every year, new treatments, called anti-retroviral therapies,
are being discovered that can extend the life of someone with
HIV by decades.
However, nearly 40 percent of individuals diagnosed with HIV
are diagnosed within one year of developing AIDS -- too late for
them to fully benefit from treatment.
In addition, people who don't know they have HIV are much more
likely to pass it on to others.
"We urgently need new approaches to reach the quarter-million
Americans with HIV who do not realize they are infected,"
CDC director, Dr. Julia Gerberding, said at a media briefing.
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Making the
tests easier |
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Previous guidelines had
suggested that only high-risk individuals should be tested for the
virus. However it was often too hard to determine who was at high
risk, and doctors at regular checkups didn't have time for a lengthy
risk assessment test.
 Procedures
such as separate written consent and pre-test counseling have
posed as barriers to the testing process, at times making it unfeasible
to conduct the test in busy medical facilities.
Under the new recommendations, counseling will only be provided
if an individual tests positive.
According to Dr. Timothy Mastro of the CDC, "studies have
shown that when HIV testing is presented as routine, more patients
accept testing and learn their HIV infection status."
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Routine but
not mandatory |
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However, Dr. Gregg Pane who helped implement a routine testing
program in Washington, D.C., noted that the new recommendations
propose that the test is "routine" and not "compulsory".
"Patients will be given basic information and have the opportunity
to ask questions before the test is carried out. It will only
be suggested by medical practitioners at a routine medical check-up
but there is an opt-out option."
To make testing affordable and time effective, CDC has introduced
"quick screening tests" which can be carried out in
20 minutes, and are 99.95 percent accurate.
Instead of drawing blood, nurses can just swab the inside of
a patient's mouth.
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More testing,
better awareness |
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Health practitioners such as Pane hope that routine testing will
help diminish the stigma attached to AIDS and make it more real
to people who think the disease has nothing to do with them.
"The AIDS pandemic is not a problem related to a specific
group of people. There are many ways one can contract the disease.
While the stigma has reduced, education is still very necessary
in HIV prevention," he said.
--By
Sehrish Shaban, NewsHour Extra
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