When it comes to HIV, the term “new diagnoses” does not always mean a new infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 45,000 people were newly diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in 2014. Thirty percent of those new HIV infections were transmitted by people living undiagnosed. The CDC estimates that more than 1.2 million people are living with HIV, and more than 150,000 HIV-positive individuals were living undiagnosed between the years of 2005 and 2014. The number of new HIV diagnoses in the United States has decreased 19%, but not all regional or demographic groups are affected equally. While national improvements in HIV testing and surveillance practices have resulted in an overall decrease of new cases between 2005 and 2014, between 2006 and 2015 in Nevada the number of new HIV diagnoses has increased 16% due to the improvements in testing and surveillance.
In 2015, there were 477 new HIV diagnoses statewide, which is a 14% increase from the 420 new HIV diagnoses in 2014. The number of new cases has remained stable between 2014 and 2015 in all counties in Nevada with the exception of Clark County. In 2015, youths age 15 to 25 have experienced a slight decline in new cases but there have been increases in those age 25 to 54. The greatest increase in 2015 has been in the 35- to 44-year-old group, showing an increase of 46%. Looking at these numbers, it’s important to remember that many of these new cases have been diagnosed due to a national shift towards targeted testing and increased surveillance services. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, HIV was considered a terminal condition where many who were infected typically did not expect to live much longer than a few years after diagnosis. Fast forward 30 years, HIV has become a chronic disease where those infected can prevent transmission to non-HIV-positive partners via Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), have non-HIV-positive children, and experience many years of life while in care. In Nevada at the end of 2015, a total of 10,138 persons were known to be living with HIV, including more than half (52%) having been diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Overall, the rate of new HIV diagnoses, new AIDS cases, and deaths among persons living with HIV/AIDS, has been steadily declining. Fewer people are becoming infected and people are living longer once they do become infected. Although many advances have been made in HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and care, geographic, gender, age, and racial/ethnic disparities still exist within our state. The best prevention is knowledge. Thirty percent of all new HIV cases nationally are being transmitted from those who are undiagnosed. Everyone should know their HIV status, especially those who engage in higher risk behaviors such as injection drug use, men who have sex with men, and sex with anonymous partners. Knowing is the first step in the right direction to diminish the number of new HIV diagnoses into the future. Check out OPHIE’s HIV/AIDS Surveillance program at http://bit.do/OPHIEHIV. CDC- HIV Basic Statistics- http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/statistics.html
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AuthorOPHIE records and analyzes data from disease investigations, identifies risk factors, and provides education on disease prevention in Nevada. Archives
November 2018
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