What are the risk factors for HIV/AIDS and who should be tested?
Risk factors for transmission of HIV include unprotected anal, vaginal, or oral sexual intercourse; the sharing of needles for intravenous drug use, piercing, or tattoos; and perinatal transmission from a mother with HIV disease to her infant during pregnancy and delivery or postpartum via breast-feeding. The Perinatal HIV Transmission Act now requires the offer of HIV testing to every pregnant woman. Risk factors for testing children and youth include any history of parental drug abuse or multiple sexual partners; being a child of a parent with HIV; being a substance exposed infant or the sibling of an HIV exposed infant; a history of blood transfusions or needle use for drugs, piercing, or tattoos; any unprotected sexual intercourse, including sexual abuse or rape, sexually transmitted disease, or pregnancy; accidental exposure to blood; and presentation of any symptoms suggesting the need for HIV testing. If a child is in a pre-adoptive home and has not been tested for HIV, the law
