Curbing the HIV Epidemic:Everything Has Been Said Before But No On Was Listening

Andre Gide- Frenchman of Letters

“Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again.”

 Andre Gide, French writer

In 2009 The American College of Physicians published a guidance statement on routine screening for HIV in primary care settings.

This week, a paper in Annals of Internal Medicine, reported on the cost-effectiveness and outcomes of expanded HIV screening and antiretroviral treatment in the USA. The authors conclude that expanding HIV screening and treatment simultaneously offers the greatest health benefit and is cost-effective. However, even with expansion of HIV screening and treatment programs, these efforts will not significantly reduce the U.S. HIV epidemic without reductions in risk behavior.

So we are back to what has been stated over and over again: risk reduction behavior is critical to curb the HIV epidemic. This includes needle exchange programs for drug users, increased access to drug rehabilitation, and comprehensive sexual education that includes promotion of condoms for all sexual orientations.