233,000 Americans
May Unknowingly Have HIV

An estimated 233,000 Americans are unaware that they are infected with HIV, an HIV research cooperative announced Thursday. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's call to routinely test everyone between the ages of 13 and 64, more than 20% of the approximately 1.1 million Americans with the virus are unaware they have it.

Members of the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research, based at the George Washington University School of Public Health, made the announcement at a forum meeting in Arlington, Va.

The lack of routine testing presents a major health hazard: People who are unaware that they are HIV-positive may be responsible for up to 70% of new sexually transmitted infections, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Experts said that routine testing is hampered by stigma associated with the virus as well as inadequate health insurance coverage for such tests. Out-of-pocket costs for the blood and saliva tests that screen for HIV can run between $80 and $120. According to TheWashington Post, only 5% of those who present with serious symptoms of the disease in hospital emergency rooms are being tested for HIV. (Michelle Garcia, The Advocate)