Study: Three quarters of HIV-positive people don't disclose status

More than 75% of HIV-positive people in a New Orleans study say they do not reveal their HIV status to casual sex partners, The [New Orleans] Times-Picayune reports. The study, published in the September issue of the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, showed that about 74% of the 269 people surveyed revealed their HIV status to their primary sex partner, about 70% to a family member, and about 26% to a friend. But only 24.8% said they told casual sex partners of their HIV infection. Many of the study subjects also reported having multiple sex partners--three participants under age 22 reported having had more than 100 sex partners each--which poses a significant risk for HIV transmissions, the researchers concluded. "If three out of four people don't tell their partners, this certainly points to the need for partner counseling and referral services," said Lisa Longfellow, manager of the sexually transmitted disease program for the Louisiana Office of Public Health.