Doctors urged to talk to patients about sex, HIV tests [Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.]
By Bob LaMendola, Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
They would just be following the wishes of local and federal health officials planning a major new campaign to combat
Many doctors don't bring up sex and HIV during checkups because some patients get uncomfortable, but officials will ask them to start doing so anyway -- and will ask patients to listen. Routinely testing as many people as possible is a prime way to find the estimated 20 percent of HIV-positive people who don't know they have the virus and who are the most contagious, officials say.
"People get defensive," said
As drugs made the AIDS virus more manageable, Chandran said many doctors lost track that
"Everybody has become complacent, even the doctors," said
That led the
Testing is considered crucial because studies show today's drugs can nearly eradicate the virus and almost eliminate a patient's risk of spreading HIV. But a study this month found that only 28 percent of HIV-positive people had low levels of the virus.
HIV still spreads, in part, because some people have misconceptions three decades after it first appeared, said
"People don't use protection because they think they can't get HIV if they are straight or married," Clarke said. "I tell them, 'Are you sure about your partner?' I say we should not just blindly trust our partner and whoever they [had sex] with. That means get tested."
Some cities with high HIV rates have increased testing rates by pushing doctors to use "opt-out" methods, in which patients are told they will be tested unless they say no.
"We have to get all doctors to raise the question and the public to say yes," Thaqi said.
Some doctors may be reluctant. Dr.
Also, some doctors and AIDS activists question whether insurers would pay for routine HIV tests for large numbers of patients not considered at high risk.
Some HIV activists said routine testing by doctors -- while helpful -- will not stop the virus from spreading among lower-income people without health insurance and young people, who may have unprotected sex after partying.
"The people who are putting themselves in harm's way the most don't have doctors," said
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