December 1st is Worlds AIDS Day; Health Officials recommend routine screening for HIV
The Department of Public Health today announced a new pilot program to begin routine HIV testing in three hospital emergency departments. In an effort to identify and treat people who have been infected with HIV, emergency department patients will be offered free HIV testing while waiting to be evaluated or treated for other symptoms
“HIV continues to be a major health concern in Connecticut and around the world,” stated DPH Commissioner J. Robert Galvin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A. “It is important that people are tested regularly for HIV to prevent the spread of the disease and to get them the medical attention and emotional support that they need if they are HIV-positive.”
Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, Waterbury Hospital, and Yale New Haven Hospital have been selected by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to begin routine HIV testing in their emergency departments for a two year period. Patients who wish to be tested will be administered an oral fluid swab in a private part of the emergency department. Their test result will be available in as little as 20 minutes where rapid testing method is used.
Connecticut was among 26 jurisdictions selected by the CDC through a national competitive process to implement their HIV testing recommendations. This initiative promotes HIV testing in health care settings as a routine occurrence.
Consistent with CDC’s recommendations, the two main objectives of Connecticut’s initiative are: 1) to increase HIV testing opportunities for populations disproportionately affected by HIV — primarily African Americans who are unaware of their HIV status; and 2) to standardized voluntary HIV/AIDS screening as part of routine clinical care in all health-care settings in Connecticut.
Approximately 56,300 people in the United States become infected with HIV each year. People of color, particularly African Americans and Latinos, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and have some of the highest infection rates. Gay and bisexual men, injection drug users and women represent other populations at greatest risk of infection.
In the United States, CDC estimates that about 1.1 million people are living with HIV. These numbers will most likely increase over time, as antiretroviral drug treatments extend the lives of those with HIV and more people become HIV infected. As expected, as the number of people living with HIV grows, so does the opportunity for those with HIV to pass on the virus to others.
The CDC estimates that approximately 25% of people with HIV don’t know they are infected, and this hard-to-reach population is not seeking HIV related services in a traditional way. Although CDC funds many agencies to provide testing, nationally, the average positivity rate is only about one percent.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is the state’s leader in public health policy and advocacy with a mission to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of our state. To contact the department, please visit its website at www.ct.gov/dph or call (860) 509-7270.
