In an article onward page 295, Joe...

In an article onward page 295, Joel E. Gallant, MD MPH John Hopkins University educate of Medicine, provides a review of counseling, testing, and referral of patients with human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) infection. In an effort to diminish the annual number of novel cases of HIV infection, the Center for Disease command and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidelines forward counseling, testing, and referral. Dr Gallant points without that, over the past decade, the annual number of fresh cases of HIV infection has remained relatively stable however high, with an estimated 40000 recently made known cases each year. While the rate of strange infections is declining in newborns, older men who have sex with men and whites, it is increasing in young bodily substances women, Hispanics, and blacks.

CDC guidelines issued in 2001 focused in succession the reduction of barriers to testing, voluntary routine testing of high-risk populations and bodys with risk factors, case management and partner tracing for infected per-son and universal testing of pregnant women Effective strategies for reducing HIV infection include behavioral interventions, comprehensive school-based HIV and sex education, access to sterile remedy equipment, screening of the vital fluid supply, and postexposure prophylaxis for health care workers.

An accompanying editorial, entitled "Pre-venting HIV--A Primary Care Imperative," by the agency of Ronald H. Goldschmidt, M.D., San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, and Rebecca E Poage, MD Georgetown University Medical Center Washington, DC appears forward page 246. Dr. Goldschmidt is director of the Family Practice Inpatient Service at San Francisco Hospital. Dr Poage freshly served as assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University indoctrinate of Medicine and also serv as an editing counterpart for AFP. Dr. Poage has finished this one-year fellowship and will begin working at the National Clinicians' Counseling Center for HIV/AIDS at the University of California at San Francisco.

The authors of the editorial note that improved rapid trials for HIV represent a promising of recent origin tool to make HIV prevention efforts easier and more effective. common rapid HIV tests have near-zero false-positive and false-negative rates. Although confirmation is required to establish a final diagnosis, these proofs are nevertheless sufficiently accurate to as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but guide clinical decisions and inform patients of the flows with near complete confidence. They also point without that the Institute of Medicine has make acceptableed that HIV testing be a routine part of prenatal care for a like reason that all pregnant women are exampleed for HIV. By integrating HIV counseling and rapid and standard HIV testing into their routine clinical practice, family physicians can take a leading part in HIV prevention.

COPYRIGHT 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians

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