Yesterday I tallied our HIV testing numbers for December and all of 2011. In total we conducted 131 HIV antibody tests with 26 of them coming out positive. That's a positivity rate of almost 20% or one in five (19.85%). When I've talked to coordinators of other testing sites, I hear about 2 to 3 percent of their clients testing positive.
One of the reasons for the big difference is that we're not out casting a big net to meet numbers. People come to us because of their perceived risk, and many times their assessment is correct. We also get referrals from out positive clients in the CARE Clinic. Often when people are at risk and they know someone who is positive, they'll turn to that person for information on local resources. I also suspect that some of the folks who test positive are coming here because they expect a positive result, and they know their next step will be to sign up for care.
Comments