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Expert says more HIV testing is needed

Category: HIV

There is a significant amount of misinformation when it comes to HIV and AIDS, and this may make some young people less likely to seek HIV testing, some experts say. Testing is widely considered to be one of the most important tools in combating the spread of the infection.

Donald Alcendor, a professor at the Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research at Meharry Medical Center, recently wrote in the Tennessean that addressing all the misinformation is the only way the country can move and begin to reduce the prevalence of HIV.

Given the fact that young people represent the majority of new cases of all sexually transmitted diseases, he said that educational campaigns should be targeted at teens and young adults. He advised that all sexually active young people should consider seeking HIV testing to be sure that they are not infected with the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that higher HIV testing rates among high-risk groups could go a long way toward containing the disease.