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US Task Force Recommends Widespread HIV Testing


A U.S. task force is recommending that all American adults be tested for HIV, regardless of their risk of contracting the disease.

The government-backed panel of doctors and scientists released the recommendations Monday, calling for routine HIV screening for everyone between the ages of 15 and 65. The new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now align with similar recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Previously, the task force had recommended only that those at high risk be tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The panel says 50,000 people in the United States become infected with HIV each year. It says nearly a quarter of those infected with the virus do not know they have it.



Another recommendation is that teenagers younger than 15 and adults older than 65 should be screened if they are at increased risk for HIV infection. And the panel recommends that all pregnant woman be tested.

These recommendations do not specify how often people should get routine tests for HIV.
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