Are You Positive?

by Stephen Davis

  ~I was not informed that the so-called HIV viral load tests use “probes” and “primers” based on the same un-validated non-specific proteins used in the HIV Antibody tests, and therefore were not proven to identify HIV in my blood. I was also never shown the printed insert that came with an HIV viral load test that states that the test was “not intended to be used as a screening test for HIV or to confirm HIV infection.” Nor did my doctor explain why he was using the test for exactly that purpose despite the disclaimer, or show me the scientific studies which prove it could be used to determine the viral load of HIV.

  ~I was not informed that the so-called HIV viral load test results vary greatly from laboratory to laboratory, or why my doctor had decided that the laboratory results he would receive would be correct in my case and the scientific basis for that decision.

  ~I was not informed that people who have tested HIV-Negative on an HIV ELISA Antibody test or an HIV Western Blot Antibody test have been found with high HIV viral load results, posing severe questions about the accuracy of the HIV viral load tests.

  ~I was not informed that the HIV viral load tests failed in 90% of the cases studied to predict the loss of CD4 cells, and accurately predicted the “progression to disease” (AIDS) in only 4% to 6% of HIV-Positives, or why my doctor decided that my HIV viral load test results would be accurate in predicting my “progression to disease” and the scientific basis for his decision.