CDC officials estimate that nearly half of HIV-positive U.S. adolescents and young adults are unaware of their infection, and less than a quarter of sexually active high school students are tested for the virus, based on an analysis of data from a 2007 survey of high school students. According to the Reuters report, the CDC recommends that doctors offer HIV screening as part of routine checkups for U.S. high school students.
This article tends to blur the risk factors for HIV, says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. That can make people think this is an equal opportunity disease, which it is not and never has been. Underlying an increasing call for universal HIV testing is the myth that heterosexually transmitted aids is prevalent in the U.S. when it isn t. If you want to talk about people being tested, you should talk about the fact that there are some groups at a higher risk than others -- men who have sex with men, and intravenous drug users.
