Free Viral Load Tests: Remember to Dial 1 Before 888

In our last issue AIDS TREATMENT NEWS published a toll-free phone number, 1-888-TEST-PCR, for patients or physicians to call for information about the availability of free viral load tests, using the Hoffmann-La Roche test newly approved by the FDA. Two tests are being offered to everyone in the U.S. with HIV, but only during the 60-day period starting June 17.

Some calls never reached the Roche hotline, but came to private homes and businesses instead. This happened because people did not dial the '1' to indicate a long-distance call; as a result, the first seven digits of the number were taken as a local call, and the last three digits were ignored.

The '888' area code represents a new toll-free phone number, presumably instituted because the familiar '800' numbers are running out. AIDS TREATMENT NEWS normally does not publish the '1' in front of a long-distance number, since people know to dial it. The current confusion occurred because '888' toll-free numbers are new. We will include the '1' with '888' numbers we publish in the future.