Private MD News

HIV testing campaigns produce positive results

Category: HIV

In a sign that the messages of public awareness campaigns may be reaching adolescents and young adults - two groups with the highest rates of STD infection - results of a recent study show that HIV testing is up among these demographics.

The report, which was published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, indicates that rates of HIV testing among 13- to 22-year-olds in urban Cincinnati increased from 12.6 percent to 27.7 percent after testing guidelines were published and made available. Additionally, rates climbed even higher, reaching 44.6 percent, after rapid HIV testing was implemented at local clinics.

"The HIV testing rates increased significantly following publication of recommendations for routine testing and further increased following introduction of rapid testing," the authors wrote in their report. "Combining routine and rapid testing strategies may increase uptake of HIV testing among adolescents in primary care settings."

These methods could have a significant impact on nationwide testing rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are more than 1 million people living in the U.S. with HIV, many of whom are unaware of their condition.