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Science: Health: Sexually Transmitted Disease
press 1 for HIV   (+6, -5)  [vote for, against]
receive prospective partner HIV status via text message

some important information first. Jamaica has one of the highest rates of cellphone penetration, with more cellphones than the population. We also have a very high incidence of HIV. I am writing a proposal which would see mobile testing centers traveling the country, encouraging individuals to get tested voluntarily and anonymously. At the time of testing, persons would enter into a computer database their name, and provide a unique eight digit number. Test results would be posted on a database, accessible by texting the unique eight digit number to the assigned telephone number. The system would then text the name you entered, the date of your last test and the test results back to your phone. When negotiating for sex, the unique number could be given to a prospective partner who could then confirm for themself your HIV status. Persons would be able to change their eight digit number remotely to prevent abuse. Income generated from text messages could be used to pay for the programme. Peer pressure would then be an incentive to get tested.
-- senatorjam, Oct 13 2006

Great idea, and well worth doing in other countries, especially considering how ubiquitous cellphone usage is among teens.

Get doctor's offices in on the act as well, so people get given a number if they're tested there, too.
-- imaginality, Oct 13 2006


"Hey cool! You're clean! Let's share needles and have unprotected sex!"

Um, no, I don't think so.(-) Just bag the bone, Buster.
-- Galbinus_Caeli, Oct 13 2006


Well, persons are sharing needles and unbagged bones anyway, at the very least, more people would get tested.

Lt. Frank, I guess we could use real names and ID cards at the time of testing, and the name sent with the status, to confirm that the results are for the individual in question.
-- senatorjam, Oct 13 2006


You could also include a counter to indicate how many times that person's account had been accessed.

"Gee, Mary, You've only had unprotected sex 147 times since your last test...but the database says you're clean...sounds good to me!"

[-]
-- augusta, Oct 13 2006


unbelievably useful. [-]; I mean I don't believe it's useful. Maybe useful when you developed a mobile application that makes phones set on "I want to hook up with a stranger during the following hour" check eachOther's database status via bluetooth. The status compare (they could both be infected and that would be ok, right?) should begin when both phones are within a small range of eachother during a given amount of time. And if you don't hear them ringing the mismatchAllarmSound it means everything's ok. If you do hear a ring, it means someone has to roll rubber.
-- sweet, Oct 14 2006


I wonder if people coinfected with HIV and rheumatoid arthritis get a reprieve from their arthritis? Not to suggest anything for your wife, [Lt], but it seems like the two diseases are opposites - one with too much immunity and one with too little. Could they balance?
-- bungston, Oct 15 2006



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