Public Health Center HIV Testing Resumed but... Not as Active as Before COVID-19

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Although human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, which sharply declined after COVID-19, resumed last year, it has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Early detection of HIV, the cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), can prevent health deterioration and further transmission.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 12th, the number of HIV tests conducted at public health centers last year totaled 141,992, a 35.7% increase compared to the previous year (104,621 tests). However, this is only about one-third of the 441,044 tests conducted in 2019, the year before the pandemic.

Free and anonymous HIV testing at public health centers was mostly suspended during the second year of COVID-19 but is now being conducted at over 250 centers nationwide, although the recovery in testing rates remains slow. A public health center in District A, Seoul, stated, “Before COVID-19, we received 3 to 4 requests for rapid HIV tests daily, but now the number is below that.” Due to the reduction in testing, new domestic HIV infections have decreased from 1,223 in 2019 to 1,016 in 2020 and 975 in 2021.

HIV is a virus transmitted through sexual contact that attacks and damages the human immune system. Infection can occur when bodily fluids containing HIV?such as semen, vaginal secretions, blood, or breast milk?enter through damaged skin. According to the KDCA’s AIDS Management Division, most HIV-infected individuals in 2021 were male (96.0%), and 99.8% of infections were through sexual contact. Among these, 66.2% reported same-sex contact, while the remaining 33.8% reported opposite-sex contact during epidemiological investigations.

Being HIV-positive does not necessarily mean one has AIDS. AIDS occurs when an HIV-infected person’s immune system is damaged below a certain level or when immunodeficiency symptoms such as infections caused by viruses, fungi, or parasites arise due to weakened immunity. Even if an HIV-infected person does not feel symptoms, the virus gradually destroys immune cells in the body, but with testing and treatment to suppress viral replication, a normal life is possible.

To revitalize testing at public health centers, the health authorities are providing information about testing methods through the KDCA website and AIDS counseling centers and sending promotional materials to local governments and public health centers. Since the number of ‘hidden infections’ has increased after COVID-19, there are calls to further expand promotional efforts for testing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.