Anonymous HIV testing service We-Check has screened more than 36,000 people in the past three months and has referred more than 200 people for medical attention, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The We-Check HIV testing program was launched by the CDC at the beginning of August, and with the support of medical facilities and activists it aims to boost the screening rate by relying on social networks to promote and raise awareness of HIV testing.
In the three months since the launch, 36,280 people have been screened, twice as many as last year’s “I-Check” program, the CDC said.
The 364 people who tested positive for HIV, excluding 30 known cases, accounted for 0.92 percent of all those tested, the CDC said, adding that 214 of those with positive test results had been referred for medical treatment after a consultation.
The Hope of Love Association in Greater Kaohsiung, which was awarded by the CDC for its efforts to promote the service, said it has been providing screening for years and has visitors who regularly take the test.
During the We-Check program, the group said its routine visitors promoted the service to their friends, producing a snowball effect and achieving a positive screening rate of 4.44 percent due to a more accurately targeted group of people.
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