HIV seropositivity rate in emergency patients is alarmingly high in the present study, there is the need of early diagnosis of primary HIV infection, which represents an important opportunity to prevent transmission to others as, in the early stages of the disease, patients have high levels of viremia, which, coupled with a lack of awareness, can lead to transmission to family and others. Early detection of primary HIV infection will also help the HIV-reactive patients in starting their treatment in time. This will also help health care personnel to understand the importance of practicing UWPs while rendering care to patients to prevent transmission of HIV infection, particularly inexperienced junior residents practicing emergency medicine in an environment that is often frenetic.
HIV testing should be integrated with screening for other infections such as viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. Because populations disproportionately affected by HIV are also disproportionately affected by these infections, integrating these services can significantly improve health care services.
Thus, the study emphasizes the importance of offering rapid HIV testing to all patients who present in the ED with or without symptoms. Routine testing might increase the linkage of HIV-positive persons to health and prevention services earlier in the course of infection, which might result in improved long-term prognosis and reduced HIV transmission