Universal HIV testing proposed

A programme of voluntary, universal testing for HIV is being proposed by researchers/

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health in the US, has claimed that immediate treatment for those who test positive in these screenings could reduce the effect of HIV worldwide.

A test and treat programme is part of a three-part experimental project the group is investigating.

Dr Anthony S Fauci, NIAID director, suggested that the research could help to find a new direction for the future of HIV prevention.

"Given these conclusions, test and treat potentially could represent an important public health strategy for fighting HIV/Aids," he said.

Dr Carl Dieffenbach, director of NIAID's division of Aids, added: "NIAID is committed to investigating whether these and other experimental approaches to controlling HIV/Aids work, because together, they have the potential to dramatically curtail the pandemic."

There are around 33 million people infected with HIV around the world.

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