§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce viral load testing sensitive enough to detect viral loads of below 50 for people with AIDS using combination drug therapies. [26004]
§ Ms JowellWe have no plans to specify which viral load tests should be used by the National Health Service. The choice of treatment regimen for people with HIV and AIDS is a matter for discussion between doctor and patient. The British HIV Association published guidelines for antiretroviral treatment of HIV seropositive individuals last year. These guidelines suggest treatment regimens based on biological markers including viral load measurements. The choice of which test system to use for viral load measurements needs to be informed by clinical and virological expertise.