Mississippi to get rid of free HIV testing, despite high HIV rates
Mississippi has one of the highest HIV rates in the United States. However, it is about to make it harder for people to get tested for HIV, according to Business Insider. The reason? Budget cuts.
Starting July 1, HIV tests will no longer be free. Mississippi’s state health department will charge a $25 fee for STI and HIV tests at its clinics. Only two groups of people will be exempted from having to pay: people under 18 and people “identified as contacts of an STD or HIV case by disease investigators”, as the Mississippi Health Department said in a statement to Mic.
Considering that HIV and STI rates in Mississippi are high and rising, the price hike that is to follow might be a risk the state won’t be able to afford. For instance, the city of Jackson, Mississippi, ranks fourth among U.S. Metropolitan areas for per-capita HIV infections, according to Clarion-Ledger.
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Out of 10 gay or bisexual men in Jackson, four are HIV positive – the highest rate for gay men in the nation. Furthermore, in 2013, the state had 290 reported syphilis cases. In 2016, the number rose up to 821.
HIV tests are the first step in stopping transmission of the virus. An infected person who finds out early through testing will be able to access treatment, suppress the virus and become undetectable. Once undetectable, a long, healthy life awaits for the HIV positive person.
Additionally, a growing medical consensus states that being undetectable reduces the risk of transmitting HIV negligible and even non-existent.
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