HIV-SEROPOSITIVE RATE AND HIV TEST ACTIVITY AMONG STD CLINIC ATTENDEES IN BERGEN, NORWAY

We wanted to determine the HIV seropositive rate and to study the conn ection between previous HIV testing, acceptance of HIV testing and sex ual behaviour among STD clinic patients in Bergen, Norway. Patients at tending the STD clinic in 1986-93 requesting HIV testing were register ed, and all patients visiting the clinic in April-June 1989 received a questionnaire and were asked if they wanted to be HIV tested. The ove rall HIV seropositive rate was 0.4% (14/3805); in home-/bisexual men: 2.9% (8/278); IVDUs: 0.4% (1/236) and in heterosexual non-IVDUs: 0.2% (5/3291). Among the 599 individuals offered anonymous HIV testing, 42. 2% were HIV tested and 69,2% did not object to HIV-testing. IVDUs/pros titutes (p <0.001), customers of prostitutes (p < 0.001), home-/bisexu als (p < 0.01), and patients receiving blood transfusion (p < 0.05) ha d all been HIV tested more frequently than 'other heterosexuals'. Resp ondents reporting casual sex, casual sex abroad, infection with STDs, and a greater number of partners were more frequently HIV tested and a lso accepted HIV testing more frequently than respondents without such behaviour, indicating that there is some rationale behind the decisio n to be tested.