"The juxtaposition of two of today's headlines pertaining to AIDS in Africa is glaring. One touted a new strategy for HIV testing that could slow, if not altogether halt the spread of the virus, while the other released the devastating findings of a Harvard University study which linked 365,000 premature deaths to former South African President Thabo Mbeki's refusal to acknowledge scientific evidence of HIV/AIDS's viral capability [...]"
Friday, November 28, 2008
Halting AIDS vs. denying it
Halting AIDS vs. denying it | FP Passport:
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Recently there has been a debate about whether to make HIV-testing mandatory in any physical check up, like checking for high cholesterol or high glucose. The problem is that HIV/AIDS is still so stigmatized that the reaction society would have upon an HIV positive person is different from the reaction one would have on somebody who has high cholesterol or is diagnosed as diabetic. I am pro-testing - better to prevent in the first place than to treat - but the psychosocial consequences would have to be understood before anyone tests for HIV...
Ann: Thanks for adding your wisdom and perspectives to our class debates. I'm moved to have you back in touch with me and our students, Mary
I wonder if the motivation behind this policy was to mandate it in order to include it by default for full access to patients (make sure insurance companies don't deny it), or as a public health measure to achieve universal testing.
Either way, mandatory testing is a scary idea until universal insurance coverage passes, eliminating the preexisting conditions loopholes.
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