Dear all,
Please pass this on to contacts.
HIV Treatment Update's next issue, winter 2013 (appearing in January) will have a feature on (recent) late diagnosis. We are investigating the reasons a high proportion of people with HIV are still not diagnosed until they have very low CD4 counts, AIDS-related conditions, etc. Is it due to lack of awareness in medical staff? Inhibitions about asking patients? People thinking they have not been at risk? Active avoidance of finding out? Or some mixture of all these? And what can we do about it?
I have already talked to a couple of men (one heterosexual, one bisexual) who were diagnosed very late but am looking for women (especially) who have had the same experience. I'm looking specifically for people who were diagnosed in the era of effective and tolerable ARV therapy, eg after 2002 or so.
All confidentiality will be respected: names and other identifying details will be changed as appropriate.
If you fit the bill or know someone who does, please email me direct at
gus@nam.org.uk.
Best wishes, Gus
PS Autumn 2012 issue of HTU now online at
http://www.aidsmap.com/Issue-213-Autumn-2012/page/2541035/