OBJECTIVE HIV testing is important for HIV prevention and control. Nevertheless, approximately 35% of HIV infections in Ontario remain undiagnosed. We examined patterns of HIV testing among physicians to determine provider-related factors associated with HIV testing in Ontario. METHODS Providers identified from HIV test requisitions submitted to the Ontario Public Health Laboratory in 2006 we...

BACKGROUND Universal testing and treatment holds promise for reducing the burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in sub-Saharan Africa, but linkage from testing to treatment sites and retention in care are inadequate. METHODS We developed a simulation of the HIV epidemic and HIV disease progression in South Africa to compare the outcomes of the present HIV treatment campaign (status quo...

Proposals to make prenatal HIV testing routine and universal dramatize ethical issues regarding early detection of HIV. These proposals would abolish pretest counseling and written informed consent for prenatal HIV testing. Ethical concerns include whether pregnant women are adequately informed that they may refuse such testing and whether patients have an opportunity to obtain more detailed in...

T benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the individual and society are well-established.1,2 A necessary first step to realising these benefits is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status awareness, followed by accessing and maintaining HIV treatment. The ambitious target of UNAIDS and the World Health Organization is for 90% of people living with HIV knowing their status, 90% of H...

This study utilizes a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to explore two important issues regarding HIV/AIDS knowledge and HIV testing: 1) how to promote HIV/AIDS knowledge and demand for HIV testing and 2) what are the causal effects of HIV/AIDS knowledge and HIV testing on sexual behavior. In this paper, we try to understand these questions directly through two rounds of experiments. During the...

OBJECTIVE Since 2004, when all New York City jail entrants began being offered rapid testing at medical intake, HIV testing has increased 4-fold. To guide further service improvement, we determined HIV prevalence among jail entrants, including proportion undiagnosed. METHODS Remnant serum from routine syphilis screening was salvaged for blinded HIV testing in 2006. Using HIV surveillance data...

Perspective D espite the downward revision of the estimated national prevalence of HIV infection in India from 5.7 million to 2.5 million in UNAIDS' December 2007 report, the burden faced in providing national HIV prevention and care remains massive [1]. The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) of India estimated that some 60% of cases of HIV infection are found in rural areas, where about...

BACKGROUND Increasing overall rates, and frequency, of HIV testing in populations at risk is a key public health objective and a critical dimension of HIV prevention efforts. In the UK, men who have sex with men (MSM) remain one of the communities most at risk of HIV and, within this, young gay men are a key risk group. Understanding HIV testing practices is important in the development of inte...

BACKGROUND For patients in all health-care settings HIV screening is recommended after the patient is notified that testing will be performed unless the patient declines. The nation's physicians and other health care providers should assume a much more active role in promoting HIV testing. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which missed opportunities for earlier HIV testing ...

The recent approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration of a rapid HIV self-test marks a significant milestone in the evolution of HIV testing approaches. With nearly one in five people living with HIV in the United States still undiagnosed and an even higher proportion unaware of their infection globally, this decision reflects a new willingness to offer diverse options to get te...