New CDC Guidelines for HIV Testing a Great Step Forward
Posted on | May 10, 2006
The Center for Disease Control is expected to publish new guidelines this summer among which includes making HIV testing part of standard medical check-ups. While testing would be voluntary for the patients and doctors are not legally obligated to follow the guidelines.
This is definitely a good step in my opinion. With the stigma surrounding AIDS and the attitude of "ignorance is bliss", this will ensure that more people who have HIV will find out and can seek treatment. This also catches another part of the population that a lot of people do not know about. Like many people who have had regular blood work done, I simply assumed that an HIV test was being performed as standard procedure akin to how to Red Cross tests blood donations and contacts people if here is a problem. One day I was curious so I asked the woman in charge of the medical lab who drew my blood if the samples were routinely tested for HIV. She informed me that they no longer were because apparently there had been some lawsuits and such over people’s blood being tested by labs without their consent and such. The only time a lab can test for HIV now is in cases where there is the possibility of exposure to lab personnel.
We also have groups, such as the Catholic Church, who oppose any method other than abstinence to preventing AIDS and any other STD and steadfastly refuse to support teaching people the fundamentals of safe sex. These groups refuse to face the reality that, while abstinence is the only 100% way to prevent an STD, there will never be 100% compliance with that. The lie that these groups use for not supporting things like vaccinations against strains of HPV that are known to cause some of the more dangerous cancers in women and condom distribution in schools is that these things will "promote promiscuity". Following their logic I guess we should remove fire extinguishers from buildings and homes because by having them, it will promote arson. And while we are at it, let’s remove seatbelts too because they promote unsafe driving. I sometimes wonder if they would object to an HIV/AIDS vaccine or cure using the old "promote promiscuity" lie.
But all of these factors and more lead to a good chunk of people with HIV who are unaware of the fact that they have it. This broader range of testing allows doctors to identify these patients, get them diagnosed, and get them treated to they have a better chance at being alive when the cure is finally found.
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2 Responses to “New CDC Guidelines for HIV Testing a Great Step Forward”
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May 10th, 2006 @ 12:59 pm
There is a huge difference between the U.S. approach to AIDS awareness and that of many European countries. Most of the ads would never be approved for U.S. television. You can view the French AIDS awareness video ads (gay and straight versions) here:
http://www.thoughttheater.com
May 10th, 2006 @ 10:35 pm
Yeah, I love their objections to the HPV vaccine. My kids don’t know what immunizations they’ve received; they just have a general idea that they’re protected from some diseases. This vaccine is not going to make it more likely that they’ll have sex, just safer if they do.
I’ll be insisting on the vaccine if it’s approved. Anything that reduces cancer risk for my children is a good thing.