Do anti-retroviral treatments encourage individuals to get tested for HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa?

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

In many Sub-Saharan African countries, governments and international aid agencies have made progress towards a universal antiretroviral treatment coverage. However, a great proportion of HIV infected individuals is not aware of its HIV status and do not take advantage of the benefits from knowing their status. This project aims to analyze the impact of a country antiretroviral treatment coverage on the individuals` decision to get tested for HIV, and thus on their demand for knowing their HIV status. I find a positive relation between individual decision to get tested and antiretroviral treatment, suggesting that individuals are more likely to perform the HIV test where antiretroviral treatment is widely available.