On Sept. 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
released revised recommendations for HIV testing in health care
settings. Some of the recommendations that differ from the past
include mandatory HIV screenings and the annual screening of those
who are at high risk for HIV.
This new recommendation would be implemented in all health care
facilities, including emergency rooms, community clinics,
correctional facilities, public health facilities, inpatient
services and primary care settings.
Although these recommendations are not a solution to the
HIV/AIDS crisis in the U.S., they are a positive step toward
empowering millions of Americans to be more health-conscious and
will help to reduce the likelihood of transmission of the
disease.
Often people who are HIV-positive visit health care facilities
numerous times, sometimes for many years, without ever being
tested. Early detection of HIV can add years to the life of a newly
infected individual when treatment is initiated early. That is one
reason why these tests are so important.
We know the implementation of these new recommendations will not
completely stop the spread of HIV, but the goal is to slow the
spread of HIV as more and more people learn their status.
As leaders of the Black and Latino AIDS Project, we have seen
firsthand the effects of HIV on youth in L.A. County high
schools.
Many students are unaware of the resources available to them
through local neighborhood health clinics. One of the main
components of the BLAIDS program is to distribute information to
the students about resources available to them. Making HIV testing
a regular procedure would be beneficial to all, especially the
black and Latino communities, who combined make up a majority of
newly diagnosed cases each year.
If the CDC recommendation is implemented, students will be able
to use their own primary health care providers to take the tests.
Of course, there will be those who will be discouraged to go see a
physician because of fear of being tested. But everyone must be
informed that they always have the right to opt out of testing,
although it is not recommended.
Previous recommendations only required mandatory testing on
those who were at high risk for HIV, but as the numbers of newly
infected people increase, the use of risk-based testing to identify
HIV-infected people has diminished.
Many times, high-risk individuals are considered to be drug
users or gay men. It is not often addressed that a large percentage
of HIV cases in Los Angeles are actually among black and Latina
women.
The CDC recommendation may also help educate countless Americans
about the true risks of contracting HIV: It is not only a
“gay disease,” but one that sees no color lines or
boundaries. It is important to recognize that HIV does not
discriminate whom it will infect, but that transmission is solely
based on one’s actions.
Fonseca is the director of BLAIDS. She is a fourth-year
Italian and biology student. Iniguez was the 2005-2006 BLAIDS
director. He is a fourth-year political science student.