According to the CDC, everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care. Patients with ongoing risk factors should be screened annually. The CDC recommends using an “opt-out” approach to remove the stigma associated with HIV testing and facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment (CDC, 2024e).
Risk factors requiring more frequent screening include:
- A man who has had sex with another man.
- Having anal or vaginal sex with someone who has HIV.
- Having more than one sex partner since your last HIV test.
- Sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment (for example, cookers).
- Exchanging sex for drugs or money.
- Being diagnosed with or treated for another sexually transmitted infection, hepatitis, or tuberculosis (TB).
- Having sex with someone who has done anything listed above or who has an unknown sexual history.
Testing is the only way to know HIV status and data suggests that currently about 15% of people who are HIV positive do not even know they are infected. Knowing your status allows you to get treatment and protect yourself and others if you are infected, and if you are not infected, you can take actions to prevent HIV (CDC, 2024f). Most insurers will cover the cost of testing at least once (WA DOH, n.d.-a)
Some people do not find out that they are infected with HIV until they get sick or show symptoms and go to a clinic or hospital and get tested for HIV. Since most people don’t have symptoms for years, they do not find out their status until later in the disease progression. By the time they find out they are infected, they have missed opportunities to get treatment, take medicines to treat HIV, and live a long, healthy life. They have also missed the chance to avoid passing the infection on to others.