The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that nearly 300,000 Americans are HIV-positive and don't know it.
Results from two federally funded studies suggest that routine voluntary HIV screenings could lead to fewer infections and better treatment. The idea deserves the serious consideration the CDC is giving it.
Nearly 40 percent of people with HIV in the United States don't learn they have the disease until their immune systems are so badly damaged they become sick. At that point, the effectiveness of treatment is compromised. And a person who spends a long period unaware of an HIV infection is more likely to spread it.
Making voluntary HIV tests part of the medical culture, like cancer screenings or cholesterol tests, would cut down on the number of infections spread by people who don't know their HIV status.
Getting primary care doctors to offer and encourage HIV tests would be especially helpful for populations at especially high risk, such as African-American women, who make up 65 percent of new female HIV infections in America.
Knowing one's HIV status should be the norm. CDC-recommended testing for those at risk could help slow the spread of this disease.
