LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Why do men who have sex with men and who are at high risk of HIV infection, decline HIV testing? In the UK the uptake of HIV testing among sexual health clinic attendees is high (90%) among men who have sex with men (MSM), although data suggest that people still leave clinic with undiagnosed HIV infection, having declined the offer of an HIV test.1,2 This missed opportunity to diagnose HIV is important as late diagnosis is the major factor contributing to HIV-related death.3 Reasons for declining HIV testing include low personal risk perception and lack of preparedness for testing.4,5 The aim of this study was to determine why MSM at high risk of HIV infection decline HIV testing. The setting was two sexual health clinics with large number