Veterans No Longer Required To Provide Written Consent For HIV Test: On Monday, the Veterans Affairs Department modified its procedures for administering HIV tests, following advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previously, veterans were required to sign a consent form and were given standard scripted counseling information. The new policy simply calls for verbal consent in hopes that more veterans will get tested and receive the necessary treatment. For more information, please visit The Washington Post.

Hawaii Revises HIV Testing Procedures: Hawaiian Governor Linda Lingle recently signed a new law to help encourage more people to get tested for HIV. Act 116 (09) removes the requirements for written informed consent and HIV counseling before testing for HIV. Hawaii joins more than 35 other states that have followed recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to encourage HIV testing. For more information, please visit Hawaii’s Web site.

The UK Has Prioritized Individuals For The Swine Flu Vaccination: The British Health Secretary Andy Burnham recently announced the priority groups to receive the newly developed swine flu vaccine. The first group to be vaccinated will be individuals aged six months to 65 years who are typically considered at-risk for the seasonal flu, the second group consists of pregnant women, and the third group includes family members of immunocompromised patients, including AIDS patients. The fourth group includes people aged 65 and older in the current seasonal flu at-risk category. For more information, please visit the British Department of Health Web site.