AIDS experts call for rethink of testing policy

LONDON (Reuters) - AIDS experts in the United States have called for a rethink of public HIV testing policy, saying new technology to diagnose the AIDS virus could streamline the procedure and reduce the spread of the disease.

In a letter to The Lancet medical journal on Friday, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus of the UCLA AIDS Institute and Mark Etzel of the UCLA Center for Community Health in California said a flexible approach to counselling is needed because a new, rapid HIV test can produce a result within an hour.

Instead of counselling people before and after testing, counselling should only be given if the test is positive or if the person reports high-risk behaviour, they said.

"Local clinics are forced to spend their money on counselling staff instead of needed drugs and treatment. Freeing these resources will open up new services for HIV-infected persons," said Rotheram-Borus.

Read More