Private MD News

CDC report underscores importance of HIV testing

Category: HIV

There is a serious need for greater HIV testing among men who have sex with men, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report indicates that 19 percent of individuals in this demographic are infected with the disease. Furthermore, 44 percent of those who are infected are unaware of their status. The number of men who were unaware of an infection was greatest among younger men and African Americans.

"This study's message is clear: HIV exacts a devastating toll on men who have sex with men in America's major cities, and yet far too many of those who are infected don't know it," said Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.

He added that it will be necessary to step up efforts aimed at reaching out to this group of men to offer them testing. Since they may be able to spread infections to the general population, the findings of the report represent a serious public health concern.