HIV COUNSELLING

The Irish Times Lifelines article says:

"Voluntary HIV counselling and testing has been accepted practice for more than 10 years. However, uptake has been poor, even among those at high risk, resulting in late diagnosis. Doctors writing in the latest edition of the British Medical Journal feel that HIV testing should be more widely accepted. Just as those at risk of cancer do not receive voluntary counselling and testing before having a chest X-ray, they argue that suspected HIV sufferers should not have to undergo pre-test counselling. The current criteria, they say, may be contributing to late diagnoses and a resultant spread of infection. "