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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...c-sw031813.php
Public release date: 18-Mar-2013
Contact: Robert Perkins
perkinsr@usc.edu
213-740-9226
University of Southern California
Study: Widespread 'test-and-treat' HIV policies could increase dangerous drug resistance
Testing helps catch the disease early, but experts caution that aggressive use of antiretroviral drugs in asymptomatic patients could breed more resistant HIV
One of the most widely advocated strategies for dealing with HIV/AIDS could double the number of multi-drug-resistant HIV cases in the population of men who have sex with men (MSM) in LA County over the next 10 years, cautions a new study.
In the United States, LA County has the largest incident population of HIV positive individuals.
The so-called "test and treat" policy ? which calls for universal testing for HIV as well as treatment with antiretroviral drugs for even those at the earliest stages of the disease ? is popular because it has been shown to decrease the number of new HIV cases and deaths due to AIDS.
The problem, according to the study, is that such aggressive and widespread use of antiretroviral drugs would also rapidly and dramatically increase the prevalence of multiple-drug-resistant HIV (MDR)...
Public release date: 18-Mar-2013
Contact: Robert Perkins
perkinsr@usc.edu
213-740-9226
University of Southern California
Study: Widespread 'test-and-treat' HIV policies could increase dangerous drug resistance
Testing helps catch the disease early, but experts caution that aggressive use of antiretroviral drugs in asymptomatic patients could breed more resistant HIV
One of the most widely advocated strategies for dealing with HIV/AIDS could double the number of multi-drug-resistant HIV cases in the population of men who have sex with men (MSM) in LA County over the next 10 years, cautions a new study.
In the United States, LA County has the largest incident population of HIV positive individuals.
The so-called "test and treat" policy ? which calls for universal testing for HIV as well as treatment with antiretroviral drugs for even those at the earliest stages of the disease ? is popular because it has been shown to decrease the number of new HIV cases and deaths due to AIDS.
The problem, according to the study, is that such aggressive and widespread use of antiretroviral drugs would also rapidly and dramatically increase the prevalence of multiple-drug-resistant HIV (MDR)...