Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 14, AUGUST 25, 2008, THE ISLANDER
(News to Q-CeCv
The Best is Yet to Be
By Clark Gillespie M.D.,
Professor Emeritus, the University of Arkansas
HIV-AIDS
It is likely that, in our attempts
to arrest the treacherous and ever-
increasing grasp of AIDS in our coun
try, that those of us devoted to human
health care have opened up another
can of medical worms.
To begin with, the CDC in 2006
stated that all women ages 19 to
64 should be tested for this sexu
ally-transmitted disorder. They left
the initial procedural arrangements
to those medical workers in the field.
The open can.
Diving into this pot, the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecolo
gists (of which I am a proud senior life
member) has just published its rec
ommendations that follow this CDC
advisory - even extending the women’s
age limits to include certain lifestyles
above, below, and around such ages.
But why does the CDC pick on women
and further, how does this subject
engage our senior lives and well-being?
Well, first, why women?
• Ever since the 1980s when AIDS
slipped out of homosexual bounds and
into our general population, it has
involved a growing cascade of female
sufferers - much more so than males
As a leading investigator in this area
states “Women represent the fastest
growing population of persons infected
with HIV in this country - and het
erosexual transmission has become a
much bigger factor".
• Of those American women
involved with AIDS, at least one quar
ter of them are unaware that they
have it. In California, for example, the
Governor states that, of the 160,000
estimated AIDS cases, some 50,000
were unaware that they were infect
ed.
• These unfortunate women not
only involve destruction of their own
health, but spread it to others - partic
ularly and sadly to their pregnancies
and newborns.
• Black and Hispanic women rep
resent an inordinate involvement in
this carnage but all of our women are
involved.
Now then, how does this sad inven
tory involve our seniors who have
already survived the rambunctious
health insults that our lives and styles
have shot at us for so many years?
Well, AIDS is moving on up the
aging trail and, as our College noted
in its directive, women at any age
- including 64 and above - whose life
style involves multiple partners and
whatever that may include, need the
protection of AIDS screening. That is
a senior health problem - so we are
directly involved.
But, back to the basic concern -
testing. What our College has recom
mended is the use of the “opt-out”
program. This approach informs the
care-taker that a blood test for AIDS
will routinely be included during the
examination process. No informed
consent or counseling other than this
disclosure is here required. If the pro
posed recipient does not wish this test
to be done, she must so state and it is
routinely recorded in her chart. That’s
it.
But - that’s not it.
The designation “AIDS Positive” is
a terrifying moniker to accept and to
live with. Labs and other testing areas
have set up privacy regulations and
guarantees to assure that continued
sanctity and result-containment pro
cedures are enforced. However, any
secret known by at least two people is
no longer a secret - and here at least
that number are aware of any such
test results.
In our electronic world we are all
concerned that any part of our pri
vate lives may suddenly unfold on
the Youtube or some other universal
billboard. Moreover, any legal labora
tory test must be recorded somewhere
and thus, in the electronic churn, may
somehow eventually join our medical
records.
At this point it becomes available
in many, many ways and venues.
Not only that potential, but some
applications for seemingly unrelated
undertakings may ask the AIDS ques
tion. We understandably fear that
the release of this information may
significantly interfere or arrest such
desired activity.
The reluctance generated by this
and other privacy invasions have led
at least 30 of our states to enact laws
and regulations closely limiting the
application, use and control of this
area of testing procedures. Just as an
example, “opt-out” programs, benign
as they may appear, are not accept
able in parts of our country.
Besides governmental regulations,
“rights” organizations and groups are
active in guarding our privacy security
and they influence not only individual
citizens but, as well, all government
involvement. The protection of one
against the protection of all, then,
becomes a monumental division.
We seniors, always involved in
national health matters - at least for
the sake of our progeny and ourselves
- now find a new assailant in our midst
and we must deal with it somewhat
more directly than with other more
remote enemies.
For some of us way up there, it is
a deja-vu event as we recall a similar
invasion by syphilis which threatened
to engulf us in the last century. For
tunately then, it was easier to uncov
er and relatively easy to treat and
arrest.
We are now, however, probably
sinking our national ship by drilling
bilge loopholes! □
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Dr. Phillip Carlyle will hold a free
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day August, 26, 7 p.m. at the St.
Simons First Baptist Church. For
information call 638-5909.
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