Washing DC DMV Offers HIV Testing

Washington DC DMV HIV Testing

A very unique and some would say strange program to test DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) customers for HIV testing is being initiated in Washington, DC. 

The HIV testing program is an attempt to fight off the city's disproportionate HIV infection rates by "meeting people where they are," the program director, Sheila Brockington, told The New York Daily News. Sheila added, "You're waiting anyway. You might as well."

HIV rates for Washington, DC residents are extremely high.  At least 3% of D.C. residents have HIV or aids, up 22% from 2006 numbers. 


The progrma plans to expand to other offices.  Free HIV tests may also be available at food stamp offices, medicaid offices, and government assistance offices.


With the incentive to save a couple bucks off your bill customers are using the program at a rate higher than officials had first anticipated.

How Accurate is Rapid HIV Testing?

Oraquick Advance Rapid Antibody Test

With an estimated 1 in Americans infected with the HIV virus and not knowing about it, testing that provides a fast and cheap way to detect the virus is important to the sexual health community.  Rapid results are a great thing but not when it can give you false positives.  Imagine you get a test and it comes but positive, yet you do not have the virus.  In many cities this has happened to people like you.

72% of HIV patients do not have disease under control

A long time ago in the 80s it would be common to see the late stages of AIDS in victims. But today due to the great advancements in HIV/AIDS research fewer people die from the disease and many live with HIV everybody like Magic Johnson.

To the contrary research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that a high number of Americans with HIV do not have the proper treatment.

America's nearly 1.2 million with living with HIV are not properly finding treament.  Only 28% have a suppressed viral load according to the recent research by the CDC.  With a suppressed viral load a HIV patient can live with an improved health and dramatically lowers the risk of transmitting the virus during sexual activity.

World AIDS Day Today

World AIDS Day is today on December 1st 2011.  World AIDS Day was established in 1988 by The World Health Organization.  The organization has become very successful in observing the day.

You can find more information such as brochures, multimedia images, and other data for the day at worldaidscampaign.org.  AIDS.gov also has a page dedicated to AIDS Awareness Day.

HIV Testing is being provided all over the country from low-cost solutions from different organization or to the more accurate and faster direct to consumer HIV testing services.