Pol wants routine HIV blood tests

With World Aids Day taking place in December, Assemblymember Nettie Mayersohn said that New York State Health Commissioner Antonia Novella is giving &#8220a death sentence to thousands of New Yorkers” by opposing legislation that would make HIV testing part of routine blood work.
Mayersohn is the cosponsor of legislation would make testing for HIV, which is a virus that causes AIDS, part of routine blood work performed by health care providers rather than needing separate consent to test for it as is currently the case. This is change was recommended by the National Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
&#8220There are an estimated 20,000 people in New York City who do not know that they are infected with HIV,” Mayersohn said. &#8220As a result, they are being denied timely and effective treatment for the disease. In addition, there is also a much greater chance that those who do not know they are infected will unknowingly spread the deadly virus to uninfected individuals as well.”
The legislation has been modeled after a proposal supported by Dr. Thomas Frieden, the New York City Health Commissioner.
&#8220As New York City's primary care officer, Dr. Frieden, not Dr. Novella, is the one at the epicenter of the epidemic,” Mayersohn said. &#8220He understands that the existing HIV testing policies have done nothing to stop the epidemic. In fact, implementing the CDC recommendations has the potential to save lives by getting infected individuals into care and counseling programs.”
Mayersohn said that studies conducted by the CDC show that individuals who know about their HIV positive status are more likely to modify their behavior so that they are not infecting others. People who oppose the proposed legislation say that such testing is a violation of an individual's privacy rights. However, Mayersohn said that the legislation and Frieden's proposal both increase the penalty for a person's HIV status being released without authorization.
&#8220The primary goals of public health are to treat the infected and to prevent the spread of further infection,” Mayersohn said. &#8220Protecting an individual's right to privacy to the point where it is killing them and others is simply lunacy.”