Universal Testing
According to an ABC News report on 12 July 2006, the Centre for Disease Control in God’s Own Country will shortly release guidelines for the testing of all people over the age of 13 for HIV. In fact, the capital of God’s Own Country has the highest rate of new AIDS cases and all health care providers, whether private, public or community, routinely screen patients for HIV.
The CDC estimates that at least 25% of those with HIV in God’s Own Country are unaware of their status.
In principle, FuelMix welcomes the idea of universal testing. It is important to stress that the new CDC guidelines will make it clear that such testing is to take place with the patient’s full knowledge and consent. There will also be protocols on how the results are to be communicated.
As FuelMix sees it, there are several advantages to universal testing:
*personal intelligent knowledge
*updateable
*early detection when the immune system is still relatively healthy means a better chance of remission, or control and therefore a better lifestyle
*more accurate budgeting for public health
*more accurate budgeting for the individual in his prescription costs
*better birth control to prevent inter-uterine transmission to the foetus
*implementation of cohesive overall policy without stigmatizing certain groups
*a new culture of individual responsibility
And the disadvantages of universal testing?
*unscrupulous use of test results by insurance companies
*employers insisting on test results for personnel files
*workplace discrimination of HIV / AIDS individuals and subtle ways of forcing them out
*blackmailing and leaking of results to the media
It wasn’t that long ago that people were universally screened for other infectious diseases. With adequate safeguards, why should HIV be any different? But it does beg the obvious question: why has it taken this long?
© 2006 Fuel Mix All Rights Reserved
When AIDS first arrived on the scene, it dawned on me that anyone carrying what appeared to be the disease should be quaranteed as quickly as possible. Much the same as has been done lately with flu cases, etc. Needless to say, this was decades ago. And now you're espousing universal testing - how progressive... The obvious will forever remain the obvious. KISS.
ReplyDeleteRe the above comment: Fuel simply mentioned CDC proposals to introduce universal testing and correctly wondered why it had taken so long when other infectious diseases were being routinely screened. There is a huge difference between consensual universal screening for HIV and quarantining those found to be poz – which is not a bright idea. The drug cocktails now available allow those with HIV to lead near normal lives. If there was an obvious question that Fuel should have asked, it would be whether fags having been tested and found to be poz, would actually have the guts to disclose their status.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. The first comment in this thread missed the point.
ReplyDelete