Federal health officials have said that more than $31 million has been added to a U. S. program to aid people, especially those at risk, to be tested for HIV.

With the additional funds the program should total approximately $142.5 million over the next three years, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta have said.

The additional funds will be received by State and local health departments across the country to increase access to testing and early diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus.

The initiative was designed to increase testing and knowledge of HIV status among African-American men and women, but the expanded program will reach out to more jurisdictions and at-risk populations, including gay and bisexual men, Latinos and injection drug users.

Dr. Kevin, "HIV testing is a crucial step in reducing new HIV infections, so that those infected with HIV can be linked to medical care and ongoing support to help them maintain safer behaviors." "This expansion will help ensure that more Americans have access to what could be life-saving information about their HIV status," Fenton, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Tuberculosis Prevention, said in a statement. (With Inputs from Agencies)