CDC tries out free AIDS tests at drugstores

ATLANTA -- Getting an AIDS test at the drugstore could become as common as a flu shot or blood pressure check, if a new pilot program takes off.

The $1.2 million program will offer free rapid HIV tests at pharmacies and in-store clinics in 24 cities and rural communities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced yesterday.

"We believe we can reach more people by making testing more accessible and reduce the stigma associated with HIV," Dr. Kevin Fenton, who oversees the agency's HIV prevention programs, said.

The tests are already available at seven places, including Washington, D.C.; Oakland, Calif.; and a health service clinic in Montana. The CDC will soon pick 17 more locations.

The test is a swab inside the mouth; it takes about 20 minutes for a preliminary result. The test maker says it's correct 99 percent of the time.

If the test is positive for the AIDS virus, pharmacy employees will refer customers to a local health department or other health care providers for a lab blood test to confirm the results, and to offer counseling and treatment. The workers are expected to deliver the news face to face and give customers privacy, the CDC said.

An estimated 1.1 million Americans are infected with HIV, but as many as 20 percent of them don't know they carry the virus, according to the CDC. It can take a decade or more for an infection to cause symptoms and illness.

Since 2006, the CDC has recommended that all Americans ages 13 to 64 get tested at least once, not just those considered at highest risk: gay men and intravenous drug users. But fewer than half of adults younger than 65 have been tested, according to the agency's most recent statistics.

An HIV diagnosis used to be a death sentence, but medications now allow one to live a longer and healthier life.

This week, Walgreens, the nation's largest chain of pharmacies, is teaming with health departments and AIDS groups to offer free tests in 20 cities.

In that program, health professionals conduct the tests and deliver the news. The CDC program aims to train pharmacy staff on how to do the testing and deliver the results themselves, and perhaps make it a permanent service.

At Sarah Freedman's Walgreens in Washington, which is participating in the pilot program, prominent signs advertise the test, which is then done in a private room. The pharmacy has taken steps to let a customer discreetly request the test, with test request cards that look like business cards at George Washington University and nearby businesses. Anyone seeking a test can simply hand the card to the clerk, she said. So far, three or four customers have requested tests in the first few weeks.