Health official calls for real-name HIV testing

A senior health official on Wednesday advocated the use of real-name HIV testing, stating that the tests will be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.Wang Yu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, made the remark at a press conference held by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday in response to a question about a controversial piece of legislation that may soon be approved in south Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.A draft regulation on HIV/AIDS prevention is expected to be handed over to the standing committee of the region's local people's congress for approval. The regulation states that HIV tests should be carried out on a real-name basis, with those who test positive obliged to inform their spouses or sex partners."HIV carriers might spread the virus to others through unprotected sex or other channels. Under such circumstances, should we protect the privacy of the carriers, or control the epidemic and protect public health?" Wang said.Wang said he believes that real-name testing could ensure that those who test positive are informed in time, allowing them to change their behavior and seek early treatment.Wang said international practices have shown that by simply informing people of their HIV-positive status, the odds of them passing HIV on to others can be reduced by 70 percent.Wang said professionals in the field have increasingly realized that treatment itself is the best form of prevention. If HIV carriers are given antiviral treatments in time, the intensity of their infection can be lowered, as well as the chance that they will pass the infection on to others. "Without real-name testing, none of this work can be accomplished. The carriers themselves might not even be informed," Wang said.Wang said public health policies in China and abroad are aimed at eliminating discrimination against HIV carriers, adding that those who choose to "hide out" may pose a grave threat to themselves and their partnersHowever, Li Hu, who is HIV-positive, fears the real-name test might make many avoid getting tested in the first place.Li, the head of "Haihe Star," a peer support group in Tianjin municipality, said many high-risk groups, including sex workers, gay and bisexual men, and drug users, might delayor dodge HIV tests for fear of personal information being leaked.On the alleged benefit of real-name testing that all carriers would be informed, Li said people going for the test are concerned about their health, so they will go back to test centers for results no matter what.Li denounced the real-name testing as "short-sighted," which will not stop HIV/AIDS from spreading. "I believe most people will reduce their high-risk behaviors and seek treatment upon learning they are HIV positive," Li said.