The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending that all Americans aged 15 to 64 get tested for HIV at least once, regardless of their risk status. This sentiment has been echoed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, especially since CDC data suggests that fewer than half of adults under 65 have been tested.
And testing may be needed. There are 1.1 million Americans living with HIV but almost 1 in 5 individuals with HIV do not know they have it, making them a danger not only to themselves but to those with whom they have intimate contact as well.
One reason for this lack of testing may be that it is awkward for both doctor and patient to bring up this idea of being tested. As HIV testing now bears the aegis of official endorsement, according to ACSH s Dr. Gil Ross, the uncomfortable aspect may now be downplayed. The awkwardness should now be reduced significantly, if not entirely removed. The doctor can simply advise the shy or reluctant patient that it is a test recommended by the federal health task force, although a patient who has no possible exposures can always simply refuse.
