FDA says HIV home test is safe
The FDA has ruled that a new at-home, over-the-counter HIV test is safe and effective, and it may be on the market soon.
An FDA advisory committee voted unanimously that OraSure’s positive effects, namely its ability to prevent new infections and improve access to medical services, outweigh the potential for false results. That is to say it’s acknowledged that the test is not perfectly accurate, showing results that are less precise than those that would stem from a traditional HIV test.
The test is an oral swab rapid test that gives results within 20 minutes. If it’s approved and marketed, the test would sell for under $60. More on accuracy from the Chicago Tribune:
FDA officials said the OraQuick In-Home test showed a high degree of effectiveness in detecting HIV infection. But some research data suggested the test lacked sufficient sensitivity to avoid false negative results.
False negatives are of particular concern because they could lead HIV-positive individuals to take fewer precautions, raising the danger that they will engage in unprotected sex.
Some panel members argued for strongly worded labeling about false results and procedures to link those who telephone a company hotline with questions with healthcare professionals.This could be incredibly important for a lot of people. Excited to see what happens next.
(via fuckyeahsexeducation)
Source: gaywrites
FDA panel recommends approving home HIV test
Consumers may soon be able to test themselves for HIV and quickly learn the results in the privacy of their own homes following a unanimous approval recommendation from a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Tuesday.
The panel said the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test should be made available over-the-counter (OTC) saying the test is safe and effective and that the benefits far outweigh the potential risks.
If approved by the FDA, the test will be the first OTC test to be marketed for HIV or any infectious disease. FDA advisory committee recommendations are not binding, but they are generally followed.
An estimated 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. One in five of those are unaware of their HIV status. And about 50,000 new cases of HIV are reported each year.
(via tranqualizer)
Source: CNN
Arm of the World Health Organization Takes Stance Against Reparative Therapy
The Pan American Health Organization came out strongly against “ex-gay” programs that attempt to turn gay people straight.
The PAHO is the oldest public health organization in the world, and the group serves as the World Health Organization’s representative for North and South America. On Thursday, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, PAHO issued a statement saying that reparative therapy is not only dangerous, but should be banned by the world’s governments.
“These practices are unjustifiable and should be denounced and subject to sanctions and penalties under national legislation,” PAHO director Dr. Mirta Roses Periago said in the statement. “These supposed conversion therapies constitute a violation of the ethical principles of health care and violate human rights that are protected by international and regional agreements.”
The group believes that these dangerous “ex-gay” programs serve no purpose.
“Since homosexuality is not a disorder or a disease, it does not require a cure. There is no medical indication for changing sexual orientation,” Periago writes. “Practices known as ‘reparative therapy’ or ‘conversion therapy’ represent “a serious threat to the health and well-being — even the lives — of affected people.”
PAHO listed specific steps governments can take to battle such programs; read about them here.
Demand trans-inclusive health insurance coverage
Demand insurance companies accept individuals from the transgender community in their payment plans and cover transgender services. Many transgender people are denied plans or transgender service coverage by health insurance simply for more money and pure discrimination. Urge health insurances to cover ALL people and cover all transgender services, including their so called “elective” surgeries, gender reassignment.
Guys, I am seeing reblogs but no new signatures. Please, if you are going to reblog or like, take three extra seconds to sign this important petition.
It literally takes just a fraction of a minute.
(via fuckyeahsexeducation)
Source: feministische
Health Disparities Report Highlights Transgender Concerns
If you are part of the LGBTQ community or an ally, you are most likely already aware of the huge health disparities that people in this community face. This current report highlights these disparities and the groups more inflicted. Please read through this and use it when advocating for LGBTQ-inclusion within healthcare systems!
I found this section to be key in the report: “According to the report, “transgender and gender non-conforming people bear the brunt of social and economic marginalization due to their gender identity…. Too often, policymakers, service providers, the media, and society at large have dismissed or discounted the needs of transgender and gender non-conforming people in their communities, and a paucity of hard data on the scope of antitransgender discrimination has hampered the struggle for basic fairness.”
The disparities cited in the report include low rates of insurance coverage among transgender people, obstructed access to urgent and routine medical care, and refusals of treatment from providers. The report notes that almost 50 percent of transgender respondents have postponed medically necessary care for financial reasons or because they were afraid of encountering discrimination from providers.
And all of these disparities were higher for transgender people of color: for example, 31 percent of Black transgender respondents were uninsured, compared with 17 percent of white respondents.”
-Ryan
(via transgenderstudentlife)
Source: ryansallans
Physiological Manifestations of Stress Associated With Process of FTM Transition
by Joshua | transguys.com
(via hearhirhere)
Source: loversintransition
SIGNAL BOOST: Transgender* Health Care Access Survey
If you folks could help out a student by taking this quick survey on trans* health care access?
The survey is inclusive and provides a space for you to enter personal entries anonymously. The person who created this survey wants to know your experiences - as well as what you think of the topic in general.
Please take and spread the word. Thank you.
[Chicago Women’s Health Center] FOCUS GROUPS FOR TRANSFEMININE INDIVIDUALS
CWHC is seeking input from trans women to inform our services. We are seeking both:Transfeminine individuals of any age who would like to share their thoughts and experiences regarding personal or community need for health care services. AND Transfeminine individuals 18 years of age or older who have been on hormone therapy for a minimum of 6 months.
Please contact us for more information!Tuesday, May 1 at 12:00am at Chicago Women’s Health Center
Event page is here.
(via mattachinereview)
Source: sqs-tec
9 Facts About Trans Sexual and Reproductive Health
In celebration of National LGBT Health Awareness Week, NCTE has released this preview of a fact sheet, Transgender Sexual and Reproductive Health: Unmet Needs and Barriers to Care. The full fact sheet will include policy recommendations for the medical community to improve the delivery of health…
Source: transqueery
California Bill Would Protect Patients From Harmful Ex-Gay Therapy
A California Senate committee today advanced SB 1172, a bill that would help protect citizens from harmful, ineffective ex-gay therapy. The law does not outright ban all ex-gay therapy, but it does prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from undergoing sexual orientation change efforts. It also requires that any prospective patient sign an informed consent form that includes the following disclaimer:
Having a lesbian, gay, or bisexual sexual orientation is not a mental disorder. There is no scientific evidence that any types of therapies are effective in changing a person’s sexual orientation. Sexual orientation change efforts can be harmful. The risks include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior.
Medical and mental health associations that oppose the use of sexual orientation change efforts include the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
This is model legislation that applies scientific knowledge to the benefit of the general welfare. Ex-gay therapy has been debunked repeatedly and deserves the marginalization that this bill would implement.
Of course, groups that promote ex-gay therapy insist that the evidence supports their traumatic practices, but it’s an empty claim. One of the witnesses at today’s hearing speaking on behalf of NARTH (National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) cited two studies that have been debunked and disavowed. The intention behind the therapy, as essentially admitted in NARTH’s alert email today, is to simply reinforce religious bias against homosexuality. (The same email also mistakenly described the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ted Lieu (D), as openly gay, in an apparent attempt to further bias the group’s followers.) SB 1172 is an important step forward to protect gay youth and limit the dangerous impact of such stigma.
(via loversintransition)
Source: thinkprogress.org
The National Coalition for LGBT Health: All of the Above: LGBT People of Color
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people of color are left vulnerable to cumulative negative health outcomes by a combination of persistent racism and the stigma attached to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Click the link above to read the full pdf document.
Source: loversintransition
Federal Focus on Bi and Trans Health: An Interview with SAMHSA's Dr. Michelle Carnes
by Amy Andre
Dr. Michelle Carnes is a public health analyst with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a federal agency based in Maryland. She is also part of the agency’s Sexual and Gender Minority Interest Group, which was involved in organizing a very special event April 3 for their colleagues to attend. In conjunction with LGBT Health Awareness Week, SAMHSA put together a panel on LGBT behavioral health — and they didn’t skimp on addressing the needs of those of us at the end of that acronym.
Bi and trans health issues were given as much attention as gay and lesbian ones, which is, sadly, a rarity at events like this. Considering that bi and trans communities 1) have unique health concerns, 2) often have poorer health than other groups under the LGBT umbrella, and 3) all too often lack the attention they deserve, I’m personally hoping that this federal example will inspire a trend.
I recently had the opportunity to connect with Dr. Carnes to learn more about the day’s program. (Full disclosure: I was one of the speakers at this event.)
Click the link above to read the full article.
