Missed opportunities for HIV testing and counselling in Asia

Abstract

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in the United States unaware of their serostatus may account for 54–70% of new infections [1]. Increasing awareness from the current 75 to 100% could reduce sexual transmission by 40% [2]. In Asia, where fewer than half of PLHA are aware of their serostatus (see Table 1) [3–17], the contribution to the epidemic made by people unaware of their serostatus is likely to be much higher. Thus, testing is a key component of HIV prevention strategies. This paper reviews the current situation and discusses strategies to increase HIV testing in Asia.