Most Americans Have Never Had an HIV Test: CDC

Fewer than 4 in 10 Americans have ever heeded federal government recommendations to be tested for HIV, health officials reported Thursday.

“Getting tested for HIV is quicker and easier than ever before — and when you take the test, you take control,” said Dr. Eugene McCray, director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency encourages everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 to get an HIV test at least once as part of their routine health care.

Instead, the latest CDC survey found that:

• Less than 40% of Americans have ever had an HIV test.
• Less than 30% of those most at risk for HIV were tested in the last year.
• In 50 places where more than 50% of HIV diagnoses occur, less than 35% of those who should be tested annually were tested in the past year.
• Only 26% of those in rural areas where annual HIV testing is recommended were tested in the past year.

Those who should get an