Durham, J.
Five juveniles were found to have committed various sexual offenses under RCW 9A.44. Relying upon RCW 70.24.340(l)(a), which provides for mandatory AIDS testing of convicted sexual offenders, the Whatcom County [85]*85commissioner ordered the juveniles to submit to an HIV test. In a direct appeal, the juveniles challenge the applicability and constitutionality of this statute. We affirm the commissioner's ruling.
All of the sexual offenses were committed in Whatcom County. Juvenile "A", a 14-year-old male, was charged with the crime of indecent liberties, RCW 9A.44.100(1). Following a fact-finding hearing, the judge pro tempore found that on or about June 30, 1988, "A" had sexual contact with a younger boy through forcible compulsion. Specifically, "A" held the younger boy down and "used butter" to "sodomizeQ" him.
Juvenile "B", a 14-year-old boy, was charged with first degree child molestation, RCW 9A.44.083, which occurred on July 15,1988. "B" pleaded guilty to this charge, stating that he "kissed [a 4-year-old girl] on her breast and layed [sic] on top of her." The affidavit of probable cause further alleged that "B" "removed her pants and licked and kissed her vaginal area." The young girl originally told her parents that penetration had occurred, but later denied this to the police. The acts of molestation occurred while "B" was alone with the younger child for a period of time in his house.
Juvenile "C", a 15-year-old girl, was charged with three counts of first degree child molestation, RCW 9A.44.083, which occurred on or about July 1, 1988. The last two counts were dropped when "C" pleaded guilty to the first count. In her plea, "C" stated that:
I let [a 5-year-old boy] lay on top of me. We were both clothed.
I let him touch my breast and look inside my underwear. He also kissed my mouth.
The affidavit for probable cause contains additional allegations. First, while baby-sitting, "C" touched the young boy's penis on several different occasions. Second, while babysitting a 4-year-old girl, "C" removed her clothes, scratched herself in the genitals, and then proceeded to place her hand inside the young girl's underpants, rubbing her to the point of pain. Finally, while baby-sitting, "C" undressed a young boy, showed him to the other children and touched his penis.
[86]*86Juvenile ”D", a 16-year-old male, was charged with indecent liberties, RCW 9A.44.100(1), which occurred on or about June 2, 1988. "D" pleaded guilty and stated the following:
[An 11-year-old girl] and I went to the Lynden Middle School to get some pop. I started tickling her, and then I kissed her. We started playing around and I asked her if she wanted to go to the back of the middle school. She said yes, and we laid down and she was laughing. We played around some more. I took off her shirt and unbuttoned her pants and touched her breasts and crotch area.
The affidavit of probable cause additionally alleged that he removed his clothes, as well as her clothes. Moreover, "[h]e rubbed his genitals and hands against [her] genitals for several minutes."
Juvenile "E", a 15-year-old boy, was charged with first degree child molestation, RCW 9A.44.083, which occurred on October 13, 1988. "E" pleaded guilty, stating that he had "sexual contact" with a 7-year-old boy. According to the probable cause affidavit, the incident occurred while "E" was baby-sitting a 7-year-old boy. On three separate occasions dining the evening, "E" entered the boy's room and placed his mouth on the boy's penis.
Pursuant to RCW 70.24.340(l)(a), the State sought orders from the juvenile court allowing HTV testing of all five juvenile offenders. Appellants opposed the HIV testing, alleging numerous constitutional grounds. A hearing was held before Commissioner Morrow on November 15, 1989, to determine the constitutional issues. Commissioner Morrow upheld the statute, finding it consistent with the Fourth Amendment and the right to privacy. He later issued an order directing HIV testing of the juvenile offenders, but then stayed this order pending appellate review. We accepted Division One's certification of this case.
Adjudication/Conviction
As part of the public health chapter covering sexually transmitted diseases, RCW 70.24.340(l)(a) mandates HIV testing for all persons "[c]onvicted of a sexual offense under chapter 9A.44 RCW". Testing is to occur soon after sentenc[87]*87ing upon an order of the sentencing judge. RCW 70.24-.340(2). All tests are to be performed by the local health department and must include both pre- and posttest counseling. RCW 70.24.340. Distribution of the test results is strictly limited to those persons with a genuine interest. RCW 70.24.105(2).
Appellants argue that RCW 70.24.340(l)(a) does not apply to juvenile sexual offenders, because the statute requires a "conviction" prior to mandatory HIV testing. Technically speaking, juveniles are not "convicted" of crimes, but rather "adjudicated" to have committed offenses. As a result, appellants contend, the Legislature's use of the word "convicted" evidences an intent to test only adult sexual offenders.
When statutory language is used in an unambiguous manner we will not look beyond the plain meaning of the words. Everett Concrete Prods., Inc. v. Department of Labor & Indus., 109 Wn.2d 819, 822, 748 P.2d 1112 (1988). Unfortunately, however, such is not the case with the statute before us. The statute uses both the terms "convicted" and "offense" without differentiation. Subsection (1) of RCW 70.24.340 uses the term "convicted of", while subsection (3) states that the section applies to "offenses" — a term inclusive of both adult and juvenile crimes.1 Furthermore, the Legislature's use of "conviction" in statutes to refer to juveniles appears to be endemic. Numerous other statutes, including sections of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1981, RCW 9.94A, and the Juvenile Justice Act of 1977, RCW 13.40, use "convicted" to reference both adult and juvenile offenders. See, e.g., RCW 9.94A-.030(9) (" 'Conviction' means an adjudication of guilt".); RCW 9.94A.030(12)(b) ("Criminal history" includes a defendant's prior convictions in juvenile court.); RCW 13.40.280(4) (refers to the "convicted juvenile"); RCW 43.43.830(4) ("Conviction record" includes crimes committed while either an adult or juvenile.); RCW 46.20.342(2) (refers to the "conviction" of a juvenile); RCW 74.13.034(2) (refers to "convicted juveniles"). [88]*88In fact, several statutes use "convicted" specifically to reference juvenile sexual offenders. RCW 9.94A.360; RCW 9A.44-.130(3)(a) ("the term 'conviction' refers to adult convictions and juvenile adjudications"). It is readily apparent, therefore, that we cannot rely exclusively on the technical meaning of "convicted" to resolve this issue.2
Instead, it is necessary to turn to statutory construction to determine the meaning of this statute. Morris v. Blaker, 118 Wn.2d 133, 143, 821 P.2d 482 (1992). In accomphshing this task, our primary directive is to adopt that interpretation which best advances the statute's legislative purpose. See, e.g., State v. Elgin, 118 Wn.2d 551, 555, 825 P.2d 314 (1992).
The purposes of the mandatory HIV testing statute are broad:
The legislature declares that sexually transmitted diseases constitute a serious and sometimes fatal threat to the public and individual health and welfare of the people of the state. The legislature finds that the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases is rising at an alarming rate and that these diseases result in significant social, health, and economic costs, including infant and maternal mortality, temporary and lifelong disability, and premature death.
RCW 70.24.015. By adopting this statute, the legislative intent was "to provide a program that is sufficiently flexible to meet emerging needs, deal[] efficiently and effectively with reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, and provided patients with a secure knowledge that information they provide will remain private and confidential." RCW 70.24.015.
Interpreting RCW 70.24.340(l)(a) so as to include mandatory HIV testing of juvenile sexual offenders is consistent with the statute's broad public health policies.3 The [89]*89statute potentially benefits both juveniles and society by making the offenders aware of their HIV status. Anonymous Fireman v. Willoughby, 779 F. Supp. 402, 417 (N.D. Ohio 1991). If a juvenile sexual offender is infected, the statute provides counseling, and an opportunity to adjust future behavior to avoid infecting others. A juvenile sexual offender who is aware of an infection might also be treated with AZT or other drugs to stall the onslaught of the disease. Government of V.I. v. Roberts, 756 F. Supp. 898, 903-04 (D.V.I. 1991). The victims of the juvenile sexual offender also benefit by learning whether they may have been exposed to the AIDS virus.
Excluding juvenile sexual offenders from the statute's operation would only thwart the testing statute's broad public health policies. There is no evidence that the Legislature intended to limit the effectiveness of the mandatory AIDS testing statute by narrowing its application to adult sexual offenders. Indeed, the legislative mandate to protect the health of victims, offenders, and society is better served when juvenile sexual offenders are included in RCW 70.24-.340(l)(a)'s testing provisions.
Appellants rely heavily upon a recent Attorney General opinion, AGO 23 (1991), which concluded that RCW 70.24-.340(1)(a) does not apply to juveniles. In reaching this conclusion, the AGO relied primarily upon In re Frederick, 93 Wn.2d 28, 604 P.2d 953 (1980), which addressed the applicability of a general criminal statute to juvenile offenders. Because the HIV testing statute "impose[d] a disability or mandatory requirement, rather than a benefit, on a juvenile," the AGO concluded that Frederick limits the statute's application to adult offenders. AGO 23, at 4.
This reasoning is not persuasive. AGO 23 fails to recognize that the mandatory HIV testing statute is a public health law, not a criminal one. The testing statute does not define the elements of a crime, nor does anyone suggest that testing is imposed as an additional punitive measure. As such, special protections applicable to criminal statutes, like the rule of lenity, are not relevant. Moreover, the AGO misreads [90]*90Frederick. That case did not address the meaning of "convicted", but rather the meaning of "felony".4 It held only that juveniles do not commit "felonies" — they commit "offenses". Frederick, at 30. In contrast, the HIV testing statute does not use the word "felony"; it uses the broader term "offense", which does apply to juveniles.
In short, the Attorney General's reliance on Frederick is misplaced because the concerns that motivated the analysis in that case are not present here.5 We therefore apply our normal rules of statutory construction and construe the testing statute to include juvenile sexual offenders.
Fourth Amendment
Appellants argue that taking a blood sample for an HIV test violates constitutional prohibitions against unreasonable searches and seizures.6 See U.S. Const. amend. 4; Const. art. 1, § 7. There is no doubt that the nonconsensual removal of blood constitutes a Fourth Amendment search. Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives' Ass'n, 489 U.S. 602, 616, 103 L. Ed. 2d 639, 109 S. Ct. 1402 (1989); Schmerber v. [91]*91California, 384 U.S. 757, 767-68, 16 L. Ed. 2d 908, 86 S. Ct. 1826 (1966). Nonetheless, the Fourth Amendment does not prohibit all searches, but only unreasonable ones. Camara v. Municipal Court, 387 U.S. 523, 528, 18 L. Ed. 2d 930, 87 S. Ct. 1727 (1967). Although reasonableness often requires the existence of probable cause or a warrant, a "showing of individualized suspicion is not a constitutional floor". Skinner, 489 U.S. at 624. Instead, what is reasonable "depends on all of the circumstances surrounding the search or seizure and the nature of the search or seizure itself." Skinner, at 619 (quoting United States v. Montoya de Hernandez, 473 U.S. 531, 537, 87 L. Ed. 2d 381, 105 S. Ct. 3304 (1985)).
For searches outside the criminal context, the Supreme Court has developed the "special needs" doctrine. This doctrine applies "when 'special needs, beyond the normal need for law enforcement, make the warrant and probable-cause requirement impracticable.’" Skinner, at 619 (citations omitted). Such a situation existed in Skinner, where the Court sanctioned the use of urine and blood tests in an effort to prevent train accidents. The Court has also found special needs rendering warrant and probable cause requirements impractical in the supervision of probationers, the operation of schools, searches of highly regulated businesses, and the operation of prisons. Skinner, at 619-20. Numerous courts have found the special needs doctrine to be appropriate when analyzing nonconsensual HIV testing. See, e.g., Leckelt v. Board of Comm'rs of Hosp. Dist. 1, 909 F.2d 820, 832 (5th Cir. 1990); Dunn v. White, 880 F.2d 1188, 1193 (10th Cir. 1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1059 (1990); Anonymous Fireman v. Willoughby, 779 F. Supp. 402, 417 (N.D. Ohio 1991); Johnetta J. v. Municipal Court, 218 Cal. App. 3d 1255, 1272, 267 Cal. Rptr. 666 (1990).
We agree with this approach. When evaluating nonconsensual HIV testing, this doctrine requires that we determine:
(1) whether the blood testing scheme arises from a "special need" beyond the needs of ordinary law enforcement and (2) if so, whether the intrusion of compulsory blood testing for AIDS, without probable cause or individualized suspicion that the [92]*92AIDS virus will be found in the tested person's blood, is justified by that need.
Johnetta J., 218 Cal. App. 3d at 1274.
As to the first question, several factors are relevant. First, the testing statute is not part of the criminal code; it is designed to protect the victim, the public, and the offender from a serious public health problem. Second, unlike the typical Fourth Amendment situation, the appellants are not being tested in an effort to gain evidence for a criminal prosecution. Third, a positive HIV test does not place the appellants at risk for a new conviction or a longer sentence. Finally, traditional standards which require individualized suspicion are impractical because HIV infected sexual offenders often have no outward manifestations of infection. Thus, we conclude that mandatory HIV testing of sexual offenders under RCW 70.24.340(1)(a) presents a special need. Accord Dunn, 880 F.2d at 1196; Love v. Superior Court, 226 Cal. App. 3d 736, 743, 276 Cal. Rptr. 660 (1990); Johnetta J., 218 Cal. App. 3d at 1280.
The next step in the Skinner inquiry is to balance the individual's interest in avoiding testing against the government's interest in mandatory testing. In general, for individuals, the impact of a blood test is minimal. State v. Meacham, 93 Wn.2d 735, 737, 612 P.2d 795 (1980). As the Supreme Court recognized in Winston v. Lee, 470 U.S. 753, 762, 84 L. Ed. 2d 662, 105 S. Ct. 1611 (1985), it is "society's judgment that blood tests do not constitute an unduly extensive imposition on an individual's personal privacy and bodily integrity."7
When the State seeks to test a convicted criminal, the intrusion on individual interests is even more limited. Jones v. Murray, 962 F.2d 302, 307 (4th Cir. 1992). Although such individuals do not forfeit their rights, their constitutional prerogatives are subject to "substantial limitations and restrictions". See Walker v. Sumner, 917 F.2d 382, 385 (9th Cir. 1990). For sexual offenders in particular, their expectation of privacy in [93]*93bodily fluids is greatly diminished becáuse they have engaged in a class of criminal behavior which presents the potential of exposing others to the AIDS virus. As one commentator has explained,
Because AIDS can be transmitted through sexual contact, there is a direct nexus between the criminal behavior and the government's action. Therefore, the offender should reasonably expect that his blood will be tested for the virus. The assailant's own actions work to weaken his expectation of privacy.
Bernadette Pratt Sadler, Comment, When Rape Victims' Rights Meet Privacy Rights: Mandatory HIV Testing, Striking the Fourth Amendment Balance, 67 Wash. L. Rev. 195, 207 (1992).
Despite this minimal expectation of privacy, we are nonetheless sensitive to the special concerns raised by mandatory HIV testing. Such testing presents not only the initial withdrawal of blood, but also the subsequent testing of that blood for a sexually transmitted disease. Government of V.I. v. Roberts, 756 F. Supp. 898, 901 (D.V.I. 1991). If the sexual offender tests positive, then he or she might suffer the well-documented gauntlet of discrimination facing infected persons. See generally Howell v. Spokane & Inland Empire Blood Bank, 117 Wn.2d 619, 628, 818 P.2d 1056 (1991); Roberts, 756 F. Supp. at 902.
These potential harms, however, are minimized in the case before us. The stigma a person faces as a result of a positive HIV test:
is a function of how widely the results are disseminated. The risk of stigmatic harm therefore speaks not to whether the search should transpire in the first instance, but rather to the extent to which the private medical facts learned from the procedure should be disclosed.
Roberts, 756 F. Supp. at 902. Washington's mandatory AIDS testing statute emphasizes the importance of privacy and confidentiality. RCW 70.24.015. The statute specifically limits the disclosure of HIV test results, RCW 70.24.105(2), and appellants do not allege how this limited disclosure might harm juvenile offenders. Thus, given this limited disclosure, we conclude that the testing presents "a minimal [94]*94Fourth Amendment intrusion." Johnetta J., 218 Cal. App. 3d at 1279.
In contrast, the State's reasons for testing are substantial. Most notably, the State has a compelling interest in combating the spread of AIDS. Anonymous Fireman, 779 F. Supp. at 416. Control of a communicable disease is a valid and compelling exercise of the State's police power. Love, 226 Cal. App. 3d at 740. Testing sexual offenders directly addresses this purpose. See People v. C.S.,_ Ill. App. 3d_, 583 N.E.2d 726 (1991), appeal denied, 602 N.E.2d 461 (1992).
The State also has an interest in protecting the rights of victims. As the Johnetta J. court pointed out:
Patients are anxious to know the HIV status of the person with whom they have come into contact. This information is useful for both the treating physician and the patient. A positive test of the person who may have infected the patient would inform the physician that additional and more extensive monitoring of the patient's medical condition is warranted than would be the case were the results of the test negative. If the results of the HIV test of the source is negative, this information may be useful in helping to allay the concerns of the patient.
218 Cal. App. 3d at 1266 (quoting Dr. William Drew, M.D.). Where a victim is left to wonder as to an attacker's HIV status, the "mental anguish suffered by the victim ... is real and continuing, and the intrusion upon defendant of a routine drawing of a blood sample is very minimal and commonplace." People v. Thomas, 139 Misc. 2d 1072, 1075, 529 N.Y.S.2d 429, 431 (Cy. Ct. 1988).
A test can also aid in effective prison and probation management by alerting officials to a sexual offender's HIV status. "The outcome of a potential source's test affects the degree to which a person should undertake precautionary measures to ensure the virus is not spread to others." Roberts, 756 F. Supp. at 904. Testing can prepare officials to better protect other inmates. Moreover, when HIV status is known, a prisoner can receive appropriate treatment to possibly stall the onslaught of symptoms. This helps to further the State's constitutional "obligation to provide minimally adequate [95]*95medical care to those whom they are punishing by incarceration." Harris v. Thigpen, 941 F.2d 1495, 1504 (11th Cir. 1991).
The State has a further interest in aiding a sexual offender who is potentially HIV positive. By providing pre- and posttest counseling, the State can minimize the impact of HIV status on the offender and protect future victims by helping an offender to alter behavior. Although there is no cure for AIDS, this fact does not justify an enforced ignorance of HIV status. The governmental interest supporting mandatory HIV testing "outweighs the psychological impact of the assailant's receipt of a positive test for HIV." Johnetta J., 218 Cal. App. 3d at 1278.
Appellants may be correct that only on occasion will testing reveal an HIV infected offender, and that an infected offender will not always pass the virus on to a victim. Nonetheless, the State's interest in testing is still substantial. Although an HIV test is not dispositive of either victim or offender HIV status, it is effective enough to justify its use. Johnetta J., 218 Cal. App. 3d at 1280; Roberts, 756 F. Supp. at 903. Lack of perfection does not render a legislative scheme invalid. Although testing may be an ineffective use of state resources, it is not for the court to pass on the fiscal wisdom of this legislation. Johnetta J., 218 Cal. App. 3d at 1285.
Appellants also argue that the statute improperly includes behavior which is incapable of passing the virus. For éxample, some of the cases before us involve no passing of bodily fluids. However, the Legislature has reasonably determined that sexual offenders are a high-risk group for exposing others to the AIDS virus. See People v. C.S.,_Ill. App. 3d_, 583 N.E.2d 726, 729 (1991), appeal denied, 602 N.E.2d 461 (1992). The fact that the particular act for which an offender was prosecuted involved a minimal risk of exposure to HIV does not remove the State's interest in testing. First, the ambiguous nature of the contacts between offender and victim enforces the legislative judgment to test all offenders. Given the youth of the victims and the trauma imposed by the [96]*96offender, it is often difficult to learn whether bodily fluids passed during the assault. Second, a legislative desire to protect the victim, offender, and society supports testing. Sexual assaults are seldom isolated events. When an offender is finally caught, it is possible that he or she has already committed numerous other sexual assaults or may commit more assaults in the future. These contacts all potentially involve passing the AIDS virus. Finally, even though the probability of passing the AIDS virus is low, because there is no cure for AIDS, the potential harm from an infection is extremely high. Leckelt, 909 F.2d at 829. With all this in mind, it is within the legislative prerogative to declare mandatory testing for all members of this high-risk group.
We recognize that the constitutional arguments raised here involve highly sensitive and difficult issues. As such, we have attempted to formulate a careful and reasoned approach. Still, the concurrence/dissent claims that there is no limiting principle in the majority opinion. It asks: "what is to prevent the mandatory testing of other groups whose individual members are not charged and convicted of criminal conduct?" Concurrence/dissent, at 103. Fortunately, the question incorporates the answer. The holding in this case applies only to convicted sex offenders who, as discussed above, are subject to decreased expectations of privacy. See supra at 91-94. There are .no other "groups" included — either explicitly or implicitly — in our holding.
In sum, we hold that the mandatory HIV testing of sexual offenders comports with the Fourth Amendment. Under Skinner, this testing constitutes a special need which is "obvious and compelling." Love, 226 Cal. App. 3d at 743; accord Dunn, 880 F.2d at 1193-94; Johnetta J., 218 Cal. App. 3d at 1280.
Right to Privacy
Appellants further argue that mandatory HIV testing violates the constitutional right to privacy. We have recognized two types of privacy: the right to nondisclosure of intimate personal information or confidentiality, and the right to autonomous decisionmaking. O'Hartigan v. Depart-[97]*97merit of Personnel, 118 Wn.2d 111, 117, 821 P.2d 44 (1991); Bedford v. Sugarman, 112 Wn.2d 500, 509, 772 P.2d 486 (1989). The former may be compromised when the State has a rational basis for doing so, O'Hartigan, at 117, while the latter may only be infringed when the State acts with a narrowly tailored compelling state interest.8 State v. Farmer, 116 Wn.2d 414, 429, 805 P.2d 200, 812 P.2d 858 (1991).
Although the RCW 70.24.340(1)(a) testing scheme implicates the confidentiality branch of privacy, the intrusion is minimal due to the limited disclosure of test results. As discussed above, the intrusion on one's privacy is a direct result of how widely test results are disseminated. Here, a concern for confidentiality is an inextricable part of the testing scheme:
The legislature further finds that sexually transmitted diseases, by their nature, involve sensitive issues of privacy, and it is the intent of the legislature that all programs designed to deal with these diseases afford patients privacy, confidentiality, and dignity. ... It is therefore the intent of the legislature to provide a program that . . . provides patients with a secure knowledge that information they provide will remain private and confidential.
RCW 70.24.015. Given the strong state interest in testing, we find no conflict with this branch of privacy.
Nor do we find conflict with the autonomy branch of privacy. The nonconsensual taking of blood implicates the personal autonomy branch of privacy. Farmer, at 429. Nonetheless, the various compelling state interests served by RCW 70.24.340(1)(a) legitimate whatever impact it has on personal autonomy rights.9 As discussed above, mandatory testing of sexual offenders protects society from a communicable disease, safeguards the interests of victims, facili[98]*98tates the efficient operation of prisons, and provides opportunities to treat and counsel offenders themselves. Moreover, the statute is narrowly tailored to meet these interests because it is aimed at a high-risk group, and it limits disclosure of test results. This limited intrusion on an offender's privacy rights is permissible. Farmer, 116 Wn.2d at 430; Dunn, 880 F.2d at 1196; Government of V.I. v. Roberts, 756 F. Supp. 898, 903 (D.V.I. 1991); see also Anonymous Fireman v. Willoughby, 779 F. Supp. 402, 418 (N.D. Ohio 1991).
Thus, we hold that the testing of sexual offenders under RCW 70.24.340(1)(a) is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment because substantial governmental interests are served by testing and the disclosure of those test results to a limited group of people eclipses the defendants' interests in preventing the search. Testing is also consistent with the right to privacy. We are supported in these conclusions by a majority of other courts which have dealt with the issue.10 We therefore affirm the commissioner, and remand the case for HIV testing of the juvenile sexual offenders.
Andersen, C.J., and Brachtenbach, Smith, and Guy, JJ., concur.