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Nearly 13% of US population with HIV remain undiagnosed
Nearly 13% of people in the United States with HIV in 2012 were undiagnosed, according to a report in MMWR.
“Persons unaware of their [HIV] infection contribute nearly one-third of ongoing transmission in the United States,” H. Irene Hall, PhD, of the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, and colleagues wrote. “HIV diagnosis is the essential first step in the HIV care continuum. Diagnosis allows persons to receive care and treatment to reduce viral load, increase immune function, and thereby reduce risk for transmission, morbidity and mortality. Persons who are aware of their infection can also make behavioral changes to reduce transmission.”
Using HIV surveillance data reported to the CDC, Hall and colleagues estimated that approximately 1.22 million people aged 13 and older who had diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV infection in 2012 While the researchers wrote that five states — Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii and New York — met the National HIV/AIDS Strategy diagnosis objective for 2012, states like Louisiana (77.4% diagnosed; 95% CI, 74.3%-80.5%), Maryland (81.3%; 95% CI, 77.8%-85%) and Georgia (81.3%; 95% CI, 79.1%-83.8%) lagged behind.
The total percentage of males aged 13 and older estimated with diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV infection associated with male-to-male sexual contact was approximately 660,000 (95% CI, 659,000-674,300). Of these cases, approximately 15% were undiagnosed. The lowest percentage of diagnosed cases was seen in Louisiana (74.8%; 95% CI, 70-79.9). Among those states with at least 1,000 HIV cases in this population, Maine (1,200 cases; 92.5% diagnosed; 95% CI, 83.7-94.9) and Hawaii (2,500 cases; 91.2% diagnosed; 95% CI, 83.1-95.7) were among the best.
“To accelerate progress toward reducing undiagnosed HIV infection, CDC and its partners have pursued an approach that includes expanding HIV testing in communities with high HIV infection rates,” Hall and colleagues wrote.
CDC recommends people at high risk for HIV undergo testing at least once annually. Increased testing may be helping, the researchers wrote, as approximately 14% of those with HIV in the United States were undiagnosed in 2011. – by David Jwanier
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