n Italy since 2012 there has been a drop in HIV diagnoses, in 2021 there were 1,770, but there are still many late diagnoses, with 63% of people who discover they are infected with HIV when they already have a full-blown disease, causing greater difficulties in initiating therapy. From this framework arise the proposals resulting from the collaboration between institutions, the Higher Institute of Health (ISS), scientific societies, associations of the patient community. In particular, new models with tests that can also be performed in the Emergency Department.
“The tests can be done free of charge and anonymously in hospitals, specialized centres, counseling centres, but also in pharmacies and checkpoints. Another way to facilitate access to the test concerns places of first access, such as the emergency room and general practitioners, who can investigate any risk behavior of patients”, underlines Stefano Vella, president of the National Commission for the fight against AIDS. The new proposals start from the scientific conference “Hiv Testing & Linkage to care: experience of collaboration between Infectious Diseases and Emergency Department”, organized with the non-conditioning contribution of Gilead Sciences, today in Rome.
“The start of treatments cannot be separated from an expansion of tests in the population – highlights Claudio Mastroianni, president of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Simit) -. Simit is engaged in various collaborations with other reference specialists, such as Urgent specialists of Simeu and general practitioners of Simg. The common goal for all is to be able to take advantage of every opportunity to carry out the HIV test at every useful moment, from access to the Emergency Department to outpatient visits, up to those situations that may make one suspect presence of the virus. At the Policlinico Umberto I in Rome, for example, we have launched projects aimed at testing patients in the emergency room and in all situations where there may be sentinel events that suggest HIV infection. important results have already been obtained, identifying people affected by the virus and not aware of their positivity: this has allowed us to start antiretroviral therapy early, which prevents the disease from progressing and allows these people not to transmit the infection”.
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