Miami Herald - June 26, 2009
Susana Montes-Delgado, smontes@miamiherald.com

The campaign, called "Test Miami," is designed to educate physicians, at-risk communities and pregnant mothers on the importance of getting tested to prevent the spread of the virus, which causes AIDS.

"A major emphasis of the campaign is to train and educate physicians, particularly in hospitals and other medical facilities," said Evelyn Ullah, director of the Office of HIV and AIDS in Miami.

Miami-Dade County ranked first in the state in the number of HIV/AIDS cases through 2008, with 32,141 cases cumulatively, according to the county health department.

FLORIDA RANKS THIRD

Florida ranked third in the nation in the number of HIV-infected adolescents and adults and second in the nation in HIV-infected children.

"Far too many people with HIV in the United States don't know they are infected," Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, said Thursday at a press conference in Washington, D.C. "CDC estimates that one in five people with HIV -- more than 200,000 Americans -- are unaware that they are infected."

To change this, Test Miami is focusing first on doctors. Four South Florida physicians -- Drs. Nelson Adams, Margaret Fischl, Pedro Greer and Gwendolyn Scott -- will appear in ads and speak at forums over the next year.

The campaign also will stress that people over 13 be tested annually, and that pregnant women be tested at least twice during their pregnancy.

The University of Miami, Florida International University, Nova Southeastern University and Emory University are involved in the partnership. UM president Donna Shalala will be the campaign's honorary chairperson.

Christopher Bates, who has served as acting director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services since August 2002, encouraged physicians to speak honestly about safe sex.

"If we don't demystify the HIV taboo, we are not going to tackle this," he said.

Some doctors do not perform routine HIV tests partly because it takes additional time. Other doctors do not want to talk about it or feel uncomfortable asking their patients to get tested, said Scott, director of Division of Infectious Disease and Immunology at the University of Miami.

'ASK WHY'

"If your doctor doesn't ask you to take the test, you should ask why," said Dr. Jeffrey Beal, clinical director of the University of South Florida.

Also on Thursday, the CDC released a new report saying nearly 40 percent of individuals with HIV are diagnosed far too late People diagnosed late with HIV are far more likely to be elderly and minorities and have their condition progress to AIDS much more quickly.

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