New guidelines issued by Centers for Disease Control could radically decrease the number of HIV-infected people who don't know that they are infected, and could expose others to the disease.
The CDC recommendations include:
*Routine HIV testing in all health care settings, with patients offered the option of refusing a test.
*Automatic annual testing of patients considered at "high risk" by their doctors unless they opt out of testing.
*Changing the general consent form that patients sign when they come in for health care to give health care workers permission to conduct an HIV test.
*To not use prevention counseling as part of the routine HIV test; doctors will be encouraged to refer patients who test positive for counseling.
*HIV testing for pregnant women as a routine part of prenatal screening tests unless the patient opts out; pregnant women who live in areas with high rates of HIV infection would be tested repeatedly in their third trimester.
