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Public health officials seek to make HIV testing more available for teens

Category: HIV

Public health experts say that regular HIV testing is one of the most important ways to stop the spread of the disease. In an effort to help more individuals make this a greater part of their regular healthcare, some have suggested that agencies start testing at a young age.

This is exactly what one high school in Maine is doing. Officials from Mount Dessert Island High School in Bar Harbor recently announced that they will be providing free anonymous HIV testing to students sometime in March, according to the Fence Reviewer. The event is planned to coincide with World AIDS Day.

Despite the fact that officials are already projecting a low turnout among students, they believe that the event sends the right message at a time when individuals are more impressionable. This gives them a chance to instill the message that HIV testing is of prime importance.

"I would love to know that anyone who is sexually active is doing what is recommended, which is being tested every six months," Holly Cozzi-Burr, the school's nurse, told the news source.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called HIV testing the most effective means for slowing the spread of infection.