The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention on Friday revised its tips for monitoring the genetic signatures of viruses collected from individuals newly recognized with H.I.V., a controversial apply utilized by state and native well being departments to curb infections.
The up to date coverage inspired well being officers to be extra clear with their communities in regards to the monitoring, one in every of many adjustments sought by H.I.V. advocacy organizations involved about how so-called molecular surveillance may violate sufferers’ privateness and civil rights.
However the company stopped wanting adopting extra important adjustments that some advocates had pushed for, akin to permitting well being businesses to decide out in states the place individuals will be prosecuted for transmitting H.I.V.
“We’re in a interval wherein well being knowledge is more and more utilized in felony prosecutions, as seen in prosecutions of individuals in search of abortion care or who’ve maybe miscarried,” mentioned Carmel Shachar, a professor at Harvard Legislation College who makes a speciality of well being care. The revised coverage didn’t go far sufficient, she mentioned, to guard individuals with H.I.V.
Dr. Alexandra Oster, who leads the C.D.C.’s molecular surveillance crew, mentioned the advantages of this system far exceed the dangers. “We have to do it nicely,” she mentioned. “However we have to preserve doing it.”
H.I.V. has a particular genetic signature in every individual that helps docs resolve which medicine are prone to thwart it. However the data may also be used to trace its unfold by a inhabitants — together with figuring out clusters of people that carry intently associated viruses.
The C.D.C. has for many years used molecular surveillance to trace flu, salmonella and, extra just lately, Covid.
In 2018, the C.D.C. started requiring well being departments that obtained federal funding for H.I.V. applications to share such knowledge gleaned from individuals with the virus. Sufferers would not have to learn that their viral samples are tracked.
Molecular surveillance has recognized greater than 500 H.I.V. clusters within the nation since 2016, the C.D.C. mentioned. Well being officers can then interview individuals within the clusters to establish their sexual or drug-use companions and join them to testing, needle exchanges and medicines that block transmission.
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