WHO study outlines benefits of universal HIV testing
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A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that universal testing for the HIV virus and immediate treatment could cut the number of people developing AIDS by up to 95 per cent.
At first sight, the results of the WHO study are a clear argument for universal HIV testing.
It could become a run of the mill medical check like those for high blood pressure or cholesterol.
But while the WHO has welcomed the study, it warns that the feasibility of universal testing will be made difficult by weak health systems.
And it adds giving treatment to patients who are not yet actually sick might increase drug resistance, while the side-effects of taking AIDS treatment drugs for very long periods are as yet unknown and could be severe.
- BBC
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