Abstract

Early HIV diagnosis is important both for prevention of further transmission and for treatment outcomes. An estimated 15–50% of people living with HIV in the European Union are unaware of their infection, and therefore do not benefit from early treatment and may transmit HIV to others unknowingly. Among the priorities for HIV prevention in the European Union are increasing application of HIV testing  and counselling as well as decreasing of the proportion of the undiagnosed. The number of people tested for HIV has increased in recent years in Estonia. Yet the proportion of those unaware of their status, e.g. among the main risk group – injecting drug users – is almost one third. Considering the high prevalence of HIV infection in Estonia, HIV testing should form an important part of our HIV prevention strategy.