HIV Update: CDC Guidelines, Prison Testing ... and Executions?

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended regular, routine HIV testing for all Americans aged 13 to 64. Officials noted nearly half of new HIV infections are discovered when doctors diagnose a patient who is already sick with an HIV-related illness.

One new proviso is controversial: Requirements for written consent and pretest counseling should be dropped. An editorial in today's New York Times supports the new guidelines and says written requirements "for HIV testing beyond the general consent forms signed by patients all too often scares patients away from a test that would help them." The ACLU disagrees, arguing privacy could be compromised because most states collect the names of HIV-positive people and "many states also require doctors to report private information, such as drug use and sexual history."

· The stock of OraSure Technologies—maker of the OraQuick rapid HIV test—surged 22 percent after the CDC announcement.

· Louisiana: A new proposal requiring HIV testing for all state prisoners. This would affect 38,000 inmates in custody and segregate HIV-poz prisoners.

· More on the controversial changes to the Ryan White Act. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 38–10 in favor of a spending bill that would direct more funds to Southern states—and much less to California and New York, who could lose a combined $125 million in AIDS funds.

· Meanwhile, disturbing news from Uganda where lawmakers have drafted a bill calling for the execution of offenders who knowingly infect minors with HIV. The draconian measure is a response to reports of HIV-positive adults who have sexually abused children. (via HIV Plus)

Comments

[Charles]

I agree. Anyone who knowingly infects a person, particularly a minor, should be punished. Execution may be a slight extreme but something has to be done to stop this behavior. Something similar needs to be done here in the states. I can't stand hearing about older men misguiding teenagers or 20 something year olds into what they think is a relationship and then infecting them with AIDS. It's a shame and disgrace.

[C. Baptiste-Williams]

While living in DC I met a 20yo boy who had met an older guy off the internet that lived in NC. Not long after meeting in person... the 20yo found out that his first and only ever sexual encounter with this older man... had made him hiv positive.

I agree anyone knowingly infecting others should be severely punished.

[Mad Professah]

I agree intentionally infecting someone should be illegal. Why do you assume that the older guy knowingly infected the younger guy? Unprotected sex in DC? That 20yo boy was playing "Russian roulette" with HIV infection in a city where the rate of infection is thought to be nearly 50% among black gay men. There's always (at least) two people involved in a sexual act.