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6. Improved Testing and Counseling Everyone should be aware of their HIV serostatus in order to make decisions about health care and their behaviors that could decrease the number of new infections. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 250,000 and 350,000 people in the United States are HIV positive and do not know it. There are multiple and complex reasons why people do not learn their HIV status. Many people are unaware of their risk and see no need for testing. Testing programs may have locations, hours, or costs that make them inconvenient or inaccessible. Further, not all health care providers are equipped or prepared to offer counseling and testing services. Fear and concerns about privacy, stigma, and discrimination are still significant obstacles to testing. Additionally, the waiting period between the time of testing and receiving the results discourages many people from returning. Advances in testing, including the approval of a rapid HIV test by the Food and Drug Administration, provide an opportunity to receive fast, accurate results and expand both testing availability and use in non-clinical settings. HIV testing and counseling should be bundled with testing for other sexually transmitted diseases. AIDS Action will work with its members, coalition partners, and the Administration to support improved voluntary testing and counseling programs that encourage all individuals to know their HIV status. [back to introduction] |