Approximately 50% of US HIV-positive teens do not know they have AIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report further states that less than 25% of sexually active high school youth get tested for the virus.
The report, based on 2007 data, states that by year-end 2006, roughly 48% of young persons infected with HIV were not aware that they had it. As for testing, the more likely candidates to seek testing were older students, and females were much more likely than males to get tested.
Of the 1.1 million HIV infections in the United States, young people age 12 to 24 represent less than 5% of that number.
Education seemed to play a part in testing rates. The study showed a higher rate of HIV testing among students who were educated on HIV infections or AIDS, compared to those who did not receive education.
