AEGiS-06IAC: Naples group "C": center for anonymous HIV screening

6th International AIDS Conference

San Francisco, California, USA — June 20-23, 1990

Naples group "C": center for anonymous HIV screening

Int Conf AIDS 1990 Jun 20-23; 6:334 (abstract no. Th.D.832)
Soscia M, Gnarini R, Izzo E, Guidetti E, Perrella O, Serpelloni G, Tarro G; Ospedale "D. Cotugno", Naples, Italy

OBJECTIVE: Anonymous screening of populations at-risk for HIV infection (drug abusers, homo-bisexuals, prostitutes, at-risk heterosexuals etc.), who, for fear of being recognized, avoid public health centers.

METHOD: The anonymous screening for HIV infection that is being conducted in Verona and Naples is structured in three steps. A hot-line on which callers can speak to a physician. After a brief interview, if the physician feels it necessary, the caller is invited to attend the center for a physical examination and blood test (second step: laboratory analyses). The results of the examination will be given to the subject with the support of a psychologist who will check the psycho-emotive physician-patient and patient-physician transfer (third step: medical-psychological counselling). Moreover, pre- and post-counselling in health education and prevention is provided, supported by questionnaires and video-tapes.

RESULTS: To-date, 151 HIV-serum positive subjects have been identified. These are periodically followed at our center from the clinical, therapeutic and psychological points of view.

CONCLUSIONS: Anonymous screening of populations at-risk for HIV infection is useful to identify reticent subjects and to control the epidemiologic chain. Moreover, we found that at-risk subjects undergoing counselling at our center tended to change their life-styles.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, Mass Screening, Heterosexuality, Bisexuality, HIV Seropositivity, AIDS Serodiagnosis, Laboratory Techniques and Procedures, Questionnaires, Human, ICA6

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ThD832