Who should take the test?

About 1 in 7 people in the United States who have HIV don't know they have it. HIV (immunodeficiency virus) weakens a person's immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. To date, no effective cure exists for HIV. With proper medical care, HIV can be controlled, though. Everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care, and more often if you do things that might increase your risk for getting HIV.

Some groups of people in the United States are more likely to get HIV than others because of many factors, including their sex partners, their risk behaviors, and where they live. If you were HIV-negative the last time you were tested, and that test was more than one year ago, and you answer yes to any of the following questions, you should get an HIV test as soon as possible because these things increase your chances of getting the infection:

- are you a man who has had sex with another man?

- have you had sex (anal or vaginal) with an HIV-positive partner?

- have you had more than one sex partner since your last HIV test?

- have you injected drugs and shared needles with others?

- have you exchanged sex for drugs or money?

- have you been diagnosed with or sought treatment for another sexually transmitted disease?

- have you been diagnosed with or treated for hepatitis or tuberculosis?

- have you had sex with someone who could answer yes to any of the above questions or someone whose sexual history you don’t know?