New York considers offering HIV testing for all hospital patients

The New York City Mayoral Commission on AIDS is recommending that the city adopt a new policy requiring physicians to offer HIV antibody testing to all patients treated at city hospitals and clinics, the New York Post reports. Currently, hospital patients must ask to be screened for HIV infection under citywide rules. "If everyone who is HIV-positive knew that they were infected, it would drastically reduce the spread of the disease," city health commissioner Thomas Frieden told the Post. About 88,500 New York City residents are HIV-positive, according to city health officials. New York is home to 16% of the nation's HIV cases, despite accounting for just 3% of the country's population.