HIV testing still low in high-risk groups in US

Rates of HIV testing are still low in the US, in particular amongst groups viewed as high-risk, according to new research.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, discovered that rates of HIV testing remained relatively unchanged from 2000 to 2005, while female and minority groups were more likely to be tested for the virus.

At the same time, of those surveyed who reported a high or medium risk of contracting HIV, only one in four had undergone an HIV test in the past year.

In a statement, the report's co-author, Dr Brian Wells Pence of Duke University, said: "We found that high-risk groups want to get tested - but their actions don't match up with their intentions.

"The results of our analysis suggest that high-risk groups know they should be tested - so significant potential may still exist to increase testing in such groups by focusing on access," he added.

The World Health Organization estimated that in 2005, 16,000 people in the US died of AIDS.

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