Test and Treat in Washington, DC: Evaluating the Costs and Benefits of a Comprehensive Strategy to Fight HIV/AIDS

This paper assesses the economic implications of an innovative approach to preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Washington, DC. “Test & Treat” is premised on the idea that the epidemic can ultimately be eliminated by testing people widely and regularly and by putting all infected persons on antiretroviral medicines upon diagnosis. The relative costs and benefits of Test & Treat are quantified, monetized, and compared to the status quo, which can be characterized as a ‘test and wait’ approach. This costbenefit analysis concludes that under a plausible set of circumstances, and with a conservative estimate of the number of infections averted, the benefits of Test & Treat in Washington, DC would outweigh the costs of implementation.