HIV/PCR test, why didn't it stop outbreak in USA

[sandie]

dave u were invited. i emailed u along with several others that never responded and later said were never invited. oh the joys of cyber space.

anyway.

i have not yet read the post re; the meeting but we (BAIHA) aimed to create the nearest thing to AIM we could here in this country.
we did - its not cheap but we were going on what talent said it wanted.
not only was the idea slated at the meeting after all our hard work, but the performers seemed confussed as to what they wanted themselves.

even after 2 independant medical resources stated that the PCR DNA test was not a recognised diagnostic HIV test here in the uk - nor in the states - we talked over the tests, risks etc etc long and hard yet the talent STILL said they wanted a test which is not regonised rather than the recognised eliza test which we currently have in the UK.
i undrstand why. if darren james was relying on eliza he would have infected near on 198 people. so UK talent want a test that reduces the time frame on result even if those results are floored.
i understand when u work 7 days a week and work with over 50 differnt people in one month why this is important.

we at BAIHA are open to suggestion and have attempted to create what we feel is a safe standard/service for all, based on what people have stated they would like to see.
rather than gossip and talk amongs urselves we would like people to email us with suggestions/thoughts and ideas so we can continue to create the best service we can.
Myself especially and the other commitee members have spent much time meeting with and talking to health representatives from the NHS and private sectors and to HIV specialists.
We all need to pool together and get it right but if people do not know what they truely want or are not prepaired for the changes this will produce it will be hard.

[MonkeyMonkey]

I would be happy to pass on my knowledge to all. As a qualified scientist, it's nice to know that you are being appreciated (something we don't get often when stuck in a laboratory analysing results).

If there is another meeting, I would be happy to attend (no need to pay expenses). All I would need is an agenda given to me a week or two in advance so that I can tailor my research accordingly.

For you to get an idea about my background:

BSc Molecular Biology
MSc Molecular Immunology
PhD Clinical Genetics

All degrees obtained from top-tier UK universities.

[Dan Dares]

Define expensive Sandie.

[sandie]

?250 for a full pcr dna test plus std screen.
on one hand thats one b/g shoot! fine if u work regular... and my life is worth far more than ?250 per month.

on the other hand some talent only work part time and do 1/2 shoots a month. in which case this besomes expensive.

[JackHorny]

.... but totally prohobitive for most guys!

With day rates for males (in my experience) at or under ?100 - I can see fewer and fewer studs in the industry. Of course - the likes of Hooper, Henshaw, Di Sergio and Sloan will be able to meet the financial costs, but those who only get the nod once or twice a month - it's just not viable for them to continue.

[sandie]

immune systems...very good point Mr...sorry - prof monkey.

how many UK performers self medicate???? ok this is not a question directed at HIV so not totally relivant, but i know of far too many.

surely - prof monkey, maybe u can clarify this - if someone has say the clap and is taking the antibiotics that treat clap - when he (note i say he) goes to indigo clinic for his monthly test his result will possibly be incorrect cos of the detection of the anti biotics and the immune system being boosted.


anyone get what im saying!!!!!
i think this is possibly the biggest risk at present. people self medicating and masking the syptoms of std's which we all know are a more realistic danger than HIV in this industry.

lets leave it to the professionals to diagnose and treat us. if that means u cant get a clear certificate or work for a week or 2 then good. at least ur being respectful or urself and others health, lives and careers.

[MonkeyMonkey]

sandie wrote:

> surely - prof monkey, maybe u can clarify this - if someone has
> say the clap and is taking the antibiotics that treat clap -
> when he (note i say he) goes to indigo clinic for his monthly
> test his result will possibly be incorrect cos of the
> detection of the anti biotics and the immune system being
> boosted.



1. Antibiotics do not boost the immune system, in fact it compromises it by making the body dependent on them. That is why medical doctors are not supposed to presecribe them willy nilly.

2. Most tests that diagnose bacterial STDs look for the bacteria under the microscope or add man-made antibodies to the blood sample and see if a reaction is observed. Therefore, if a person has been on antibiotics for a long time (chronic user), then the diagnostic test will generate a weaker result as there will be a lower bacterial count, but should be sufficient to produce a definitive yes or no (but don't hold me to that, as their are many other factors that dictate bacterial count).

3. Antibiotics have no effect on viral STDs such as Herpes and HIV.

4. Antibiotics are prescribed. How do these individuals self-medicate? They must have an illegal medication supplier of some kind. No?

5. Chronic users of antibiotics (self-medicating people) put themselves at risk by reducing their own immune system, making them more prone to catching other bacteria AND increasing their risk of developing antibiotic resistance- In essence, antibiotics won't work against various bacterial strains.

[Dan Dares]

Damn, that's exactly what i was going to say! lol

Actually there are two possibilities, one is of course that a lot of guys will drop out and hopefully some girls may even get put off unless they are serious about it...the other more worrying one would be that the lesser people producers and talent alike will shoot with the old tests and have a whole new talent pool totally unavailable to the bigger producers!

[Dan Dares]

I didn't think you could test for Herpes Sandie...still I will take your word for it!

[JackHorny]

... looks most likely.

Personally - it will be the end for me. But I am quite sure there will be unscrupulous producers out there who NEED a stud and, unable to find one from the Elite pool, he (or she) will look for the next best thing...

The alternative is that male rates will have to rise to meet the increased costs - again, I can't see producers willing OR BEING IN A FINANCIAL POSITION to raise male rates...

Of course - we're not arguing about the "price of a life" here - of course ?250 is peanuts when it comes down to something so literal - but we've got to take a realistic view of things here.

Perhaps the answer is for the testing costs to be proportional? say ?300 for females, ?100 for males - i.e. roughly a days rate? Would anybody argue with that?