NEWS > HEALTH > STUDY SHOWS TESTING FOR HIV INCREASES NUMBER OF DIAGNOSIS’

STUDY SHOWS TESTING FOR HIV INCREASES NUMBER OF DIAGNOSIS’

July 1 2009

Atlanta, GA – There are few diseases in the history of humanity that have had the sociological impact that HIV and AIDS has had. Though viral infections such as the flu and the bubonic plague killed many more people and, particularly in the case of the latter, changed the destinies of entire nations, the assault that HIV has laid on the
species is arguably the most affecting. Partly due to how it is spread, partially due to its origins in the gay community, the rise and spread if the disease has fundamentally altered the social landscape of the species forever.

Now a new study into the spread of the disease sheds new light on the spread of the virus and new techniques that are being employed to stop its progression. One of the many recommendations in the study is the need to conduct tests for the virus and to treat people affected by the disease. Amongst other findings the study showed that testing for the disease dramatically increased the number of diagnosed cases amongst a small sample group. The belief is that be increasing the number of diagnosis’ the number of treatable cases will increase and help stave off the spread of the disease.

“In the fight against HIV, I can tell you that few things are more important than testing. It's an essential step in reducing the number of new HIV infections and extending the lives of those who are infected,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton of the CDC. “Far too many individuals with HIV don't know that they're infected. CDC estimates that one in five people with HIV in the United States is unaware of being infected. That's more than 200,000 Americans who may be transmitting the virus to others without knowing it, and who can't take advantage of HIV treatments that could prolong and improve the quality of their lives. As we mark National HIV Testing Day on Saturday, I strongly encourage all Americans to get tested for HIV.”

Traditional methods for diagnosing the disease including waiting until it had progressed to full blown AIDS and educated guesses in respect to high risk groups, namely homosexual men. Doctors hope that the increased testing will lead to an initial spike in the number of cases, dramatically increasing funding dedicated to the disease.

“Traditionally HIV and AIDS have been one of the biggest draws when it comes to donations, particularly amongst celebrities. That has always been buoyed by the very soft numbers in respect to actual infection rates. That fear has of course brought all kinds of attention and all kinds of dollars. Really it’s the perfect way to sell a disease,” said Scrape TV Health analyst Rebecca Phelps. “Of course things change and as the economy continues to suffer the funds for everyone are starting to dry up. People simply don’t have the money to give away to diseases like they once did but perhaps if they start to see the real numbers they will reconsider and continue to push money into the system.”

AIDS has long been regarded as the Triple-A disease when it comes to revenue generation, soundly defeating more deadly diseases such as Cancer and heart disease.

“By increasing the number of cases in the field inevitably you will increase the amount of financing. It will have the added benefit of saving more lives but the real win is in the increased dollar generation. If they can once again firmly establish HIV as a deadly epidemic lurking at every corner they will keep a lot of people employed for a very long time,” continued Phelps. “Remember through the 80’s and 90’s people were almost cataclysmically afraid of the disease and that was in large part due to how little we knew about it. Those were the fat years for researchers and laboratories and there are more than a few people suffering as the public has grown a lot less fearful of the disease.”

The study concludes that with increased testing diagnosis rates could reach 100 per cent amongst infected individuals. 

Lauren Hebert, Health Correspondent

NEWS > HEALTH > STUDY SHOWS TESTING FOR HIV INCREASES NUMBER OF DIAGNOSIS’