Five stories for National HIV Testing Day

Today is National HIV Testing Day, which was established to promote the importance of testing and treatment of HIV. The observance includes approximately 400 events across the United States, and effectively targets groups disproportionately affected by the disease, according to a recent MMWR.

The CDC continues to promote National HIV Testing Day to reduce the stigma associated with testing. However, stigma still remains a significant barrier for many people, according to Marcella Flores, MPH, PhD, associate director of research at amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

“Stigma and discrimination are still prevalent enough that people are afraid to find out whether or not they are HIV positive,” Flores told Infectious Disease News. “Part of the fear is a misperception that once someone is HIV-positive, a meaningful and lasting relationship may not be possible.”

Combating stigma requires a change in the public perception of HIV, Flores said. This includes increased education about the effectiveness of PrEP.

“Greater efforts must be made to educate the public that being HIV-positive is not the death sentence it once was,” she said. “Greater PrEP awareness should help to mitigate this fear. PrEP has already been shown to be very effective, when taken regularly, in keeping an HIV-free person negative.”

Currently, the CDC recommends that HIV testing become a part of routine primary care for all individuals aged 13 to 65 years. Flores said clinicians should enforce these guidelines. In addition, she believes there should be testing programs in schools as well as trans-affirming services for transgender patients.

“Wider access to HIV testing in locations frequented by young people, such as schools or community-based organizations, would go a long way to increasing the number of youths being tested,” she said. “To increase testing among transgender people, clinics can provide trans-affirming services and hormone therapy in addition to HIV tests.”

Flores also emphasized the importance that clinicians use fourth-generation assays that test for viral protein, p24 and HIV antibodies.

“These tests shorten the window period that could lead to a false-negative from 3 months to 3 weeks,” she said. “Switching away from antibody-only tests is key in preventing transmission and provides better care for the patients.”

Flores said the only way for a patient to know for certain if they are HIV-positive is to get tested.

“If you are HIV-positive, the sooner you know, the sooner you can control the virus and prevent damage to your immune system.”

To mark National HIV Testing Day, Infectious Disease News compiled five stories related to HIV testing.

National day results in more HIV identified during June

National HIV Testing Day, which annually occurs on June 27, has led to more newly identified patients with HIV in the month of June compared with other months, according to the latest MMWR. Read more.

Opt-out HIV screening choice increases testing rates

Adoption of an opt-out HIV testing policy in hospital EDs could increase the proportion of tested patients, especially among those who report low-risk behaviors, according to recent data. Read more.

Opt-out testing at children’s hospitals increases HIV testing rate

ATLANTA — Hospitalwide opt-out testing was successful at increasing the HIV testing rate among children aged 13 years and older at two U.S. children’s hospitals, according to data presented at the CDC’s National HIV Prevention Conference in December. Read more.

HIV testing rates low for gay male adolescents

Gay and bisexual teenage boys were unlikely to undergo HIV testing, according to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Read more.

Near-universal HIV screening would require eightfold increase in primary care testing

Quadrupling HIV testing during primary care visits could “achieve high testing coverage by age 39 years,” and an eightfold increase could see near-universal coverage, according to data presented by CDC officials at this year’s Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Read more.

Disclosure: Flores reports no relevant financial disclosures.