Office of AIDS Expands Use of Rapid HIV Test to Four Additional Counties
The Office of AIDS will expand the use of rapid HIV tests to Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange and Sacramento counties, agency officials announced on Monday, the Sacramento Bee reports (Griffith, Sacramento Bee, 12/2). The test requires a blood sample from a finger prick and allows individuals to be tested and learn their HIV status in one visit (California Healthline, 10/30). The tests will be available in the four additional counties by the end of January, and officials from the Department of Health Services expect the test to be available statewide by mid-2004 (Anderson, Fresno Bee, 12/2). State officials expect expansion of the program to increase the number of HIV cases that are reported and to help the state secure more federal funding for HIV/AIDS programs. Alameda, San Diego, San Francisco and Sonoma counties and the city of Long Beach were the first state jurisdictions to implement the rapid HIV test in August (Sacramento Bee, 12/2).
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