National HIV Testing Day --- June 27, 2010

National HIV Testing Day --- June 27, 2010
Weekly
June 25, 2010 / 59(24);737


National HIV Testing Day is observed each year on June 27 to promote testing for and diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Persons who learn they are infected with HIV can receive appropriate health care, treatment, monitoring, and prevention services, and can survive longer. They also can avoid transmitting the virus to others, thereby controlling the spread of HIV.

In 2006, an estimated 21% of those living with HIV infection in the United States (232,700 persons) were not aware of their HIV infection (1). To increase HIV testing and awareness of infection status, CDC recommended in September 2006 that all persons aged 13--64 years be screened for HIV in health-care settings. CDC also recommended that persons with increased risk for HIV be retested at least annually (2). In 2006, 40.4% (an estimated 71.5 million persons) of U.S. adults aged 18--64 years reported ever being tested for HIV infection (3). In January--September 2009, this percentage was 44.6% (an estimated 80 million persons) (4). This increase, in addition to recent increases in new HIV diagnoses (5), indicates that more persons in the United States have been tested for HIV, and a greater number of HIV-infected persons are learning of their diagnoses earlier.

HIV testing information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/features/hivtesting and http://www.hivtest.org.

References
1.CDC. HIV prevalence estimates---United States, 2006. MMWR 2008;57:1073--6.
2.CDC. Revised recommendations for HIV testing of adults, adolescents, and pregnant women in health-care settings. MMWR 2006;55(No. RR-14).
3.CDC. Persons tested for HIV---United States, 2006. MMWR 2008;57:845--9.
4.CDC. Early release of selected estimates based on data from the January--September 2009 National Health Interview Survey. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2010.
5.CDC. HIV/AIDS surveillance report, 2007. Vol. 19. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2009.

open here please:
National HIV Testing Day --- June 27, 2010