CDC Recommends Routine AIDS Testing For Every American Starting At Age 13

I was shocked at first when I heard that the Centers for Disease Control have today recommended that every American get an AIDS test as part of any routine medical exam starting at age 13. But I think it makes sense.

My first AIDS test came not because of risky sex but because of an accidental used needle stick where the needle was used on a man with Karposi's sarcoma which - in circa 1984 - was only beginning to be associated with the AIDS virus (I worked in hospital admin in my early 20s which is how I inadvertently got exposed. Later, when the patient was sent to a larger hospital and diagnosed with full blown AIDS, I immediately sought testing.

I've continued to be tested because while I am long past the risk from that needle stick and I operate "safely", I certainly never want to pass something on to anyone else. Not just through sex, of course; I have a relatively rare blood type, and used to donate blood frequently. For a long time, blood banks were not testing for AIDS and only slowly began to ask if donors had risks.

Interestingly, I've read that AIDS is up in senior citizens along with other sexually transmitted diseases. Know why some say this is happening? Cialis, Viagra, and Levitra, allowing men over 65 to remain "tomcats" far longer. Guess it's never too late for sex or STDs.

So for those of you who cringe at the idea of your first test, don't. It's just like any other blood test, the likelihood for HIV is quite low (unless you take unnecessary risks, which include unsafe sex and dirty needles), and it just makes sense.