Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- Health experts are now urging almost everyone to be tested for the AIDS virus.
About 1.2-million people in the U.S. are HIV positive and about 1 in 5 of them don’t even know it. Those who don’t know that they’re infected are believed to transmit about 20,000 new cases of AIDS each year.
Now, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force is recommending that all people ages 15 to 65 get tested for AIDS. Those younger or older who have increased risk factors should also be screened.
Risk factors include:
- Unprotected sex with multiple partners
- Any partner with HIV
- Any injection drug use
- Exchanging sex for money
The task force also says that all pregnant women should be HIV tested.
Earlier diagnosis means earlier treatment and that means sharp reductions in the spread of AIDS and in AIDS-related deaths.
