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On World AIDS Day, a Walgreen
pharmacy, the Delaware HIV Consortium, and other groups sponsored an
HIV-testing event to publicize a new state testing law. According to Dr. Karyl
Rattay, director of the state Division of Public Health, the new law—which was
passed in June—made HIV tests part of the routine battery of medical tests. The
law conforms to the CDC 2006 recommendation, which suggested letting patients
“opt out” of the test rather than making them request it. This was the first
time that HIV testing and counseling was available at a Delaware pharmacy. Jon
Reitz, the pharmacy director, said that the company would like to start
regularly offering HIV testing and counseling at their stores, but there are no
specific plans to do so. OraSure Technologies provided free oral testing kits
for the event.
Dr. Rattay stated that in 2011, 112
people in Delaware were diagnosed with HIV, a drop from 182 in 2005, and by the
end of October of this year, 116 people had tested positive. Dr. Rattay noted
that state figures indicate there are 1,430 persons with HIV, 2,328 with AIDS,
and 46 people died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2011. African-Americans are at
a disproportionate risk of HIV/AIDS and make up 61 percent of persons with the
disease.
Peter Houle, executive director of
Delaware HIV Consortium, commented that making HIV tests routine should help
reduce the stigma and make doctors and patients more comfortable discussing HIV
and AIDS. The consortium plans to distribute a brochure to doctors in Delaware
explaining the law and how to talk to patients about testing.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
