HIV Testing Recommended For Teens

the American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday that All sexually active adolescents should be screened for HIV.

And in areas with higher rates of the infection, all teens over 16 should get the test, the group added in its statement.

More than 1.1 million Americans are infected with HIV, and 55,000 of them are between 13 and 24 years old.

HIV usually proceeds to AIDS in the absence of treatment, but newer drugs can keep that from happening for many years. And knowing you’re infected may also help stem transmission of the disease to others — a benefit that isn’t seen with cancer screening, for instance.

Today, many doctors only offer testing to patients they deem at risk, such as prostitutes, drug addicts and homosexual men.

Since 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have urged everybody older than 13 to get an HIV test regardless of risk factors in areas with many undiagnosed cases.

An HIV test costs about $14, and is accurate more than 99 percent of the time.

But not all experts are convinced screening everybody is the way to go.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force makes no recommendations to the general public about HIV screening, although it urges high-risk groups to get screened.

There are still questions about consent and disclosure when it comes to children.

And it’s unclear who would pay for the extra screening.