Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Published November 28, 2017
On November 28, 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated information on HIV testing and diagnosis in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) entitled “Vital Signs: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing and Diagnosis Delays – United States”.
The new report states that persons unaware of their HIV infection account for appromiately 40% of ongoing transmissions in the United States, and persons are unaware of their infection because of delayed HIV diagnoses. Among those diagnosed with HIV infection in 2015, the estimated median diagnosis delay was 3.0 years, varying based by race/ethnicity and transmission category.
The CDC continues to recommend that health care providers and others providing HIV testing implement routine and targeted HIV testing to decrease diagnosis delays.