Fashionably (way)Late

“This represents a milestone for CDC and for our national health protection.” CDC director Julie L. Gerberding regarding the new federal recommendation that all people between 13 and 64 be routinely tested for HIV.

I agree, HIV testing is a good idea, in fact, it is a very good idea.

But…HIV/AIDS has been a serious national health issue for twenty-something years and the CDC is just now getting around to recommending testing. This is a ‘milestone’? Governments, and government agencies, have been painfully slow to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The toll of their pace has been paid with lives. If “recommended testing” is our best strategy, we are in for a very long, painful journey.