HIV Testing, Counseling Rules May Change SEATTLE, WA (KPLU) -

New rules could make HIV testing more widespread--by eliminating some requirements for counseling. The rules have been evolving as the stigma of HIV has been declining. The Washington state Board of Health is scheduled to vote Wednesday (Nov. 4th) on the revision.

Getting tested for HIV is different from any other disease. The person offering the test has to provide a counseling session in advance, including tips about sexual safety, which might take 20 minutes. The counselor also has to inform you that a completely anonymous test is available elsewhere - one that wouldn't even be in your medical records.

Craig McLaughlin, executive director of the state Board of Health, says these steps have become serious hurdles. "What the studies are showing is that doctors who have to do the pre-test and post-test counseling, because they're so busy have been choosing not to go into routine testing, because it creates this large burden on their work and their practice," he says.

Many people come to emergency rooms with gonorrhea or syphilis and still don't get an HIV test because the E.R. isn't prepared to do all the counseling. Health officials estimate about 20% of people who are infected with HIV in Washington are not aware of it--and those people are the biggest reason the virus is still spreading.

If the revised rules are approved by the state Board of Health, they'd match federal recommendations. The changes would make it more likely that HIV would be included in a normal battery of tests. For anyone who tests positive, their case would be referred to the local public health department for counseling.

Critics of the proposal say counseling for HIV remains different from other diseases. They fear it will be shortchanged once doctors are off the hook and it's delegated to a public health agency. It's better for the patient to get the counseling and testing all at once, says Fred Swanson of the Gay City Health Project in Seattle.

Web Extras:

To see the proposal and find information about the meeting, visit the State Board of Health website.


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