National HIV testing day is June 27, and in the run up to it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pushing its recommendations that everyone get tested for HIV at least once between the ages of 13 and 64. Those who are at risk for the virus--intravenous drug users and those with multiple sexual partners, among others--should be tested at least yearly. The CDC is also pushing for all pregnant women to be tested early in their pregnancies so that physicians can take precautions to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV to the baby.
While between 16 and 22 million people are thought to be tested for HIV annually, the CDC reports that there are an estimated 200,000 Americans who carry the AIDS virus but don't know it. Some people live with HIV for up to 10 years before knowing they are infected.
Making the process faster could assist the CDC's efforts. Monday, Abbott Laboratories reported that the FDA has given approval for an HIV test that can be conducted earlier and provides more accurate results. The test not only looks for antibodies, which often can't be detected in the first weeks, but antigens to HIV. Antigens are present when the virus is at its most infectious, making early diagnosis a potentially important tool for decreasing infection rates.
The test--known as ARCHITECT--has been available in Europe since 2004.
To learn more:
- read this Clarion Ledger piece
- check out this Reuters article
- here's a press release from Abbott Laboratories
- look over this feature on the CDC's website on National HIV Testing Day
- read these previous HIV testing recommendations