CDC: 240,000 Americans have HIV and don't know it
CBS
(CBS/AP) Once a death sentence, AIDS can now be managed so effectively that people with the disease can live almost as long as those without it - but that's true only for those who get good medical care.
Unfortunately only one in four Americans with AIDS has the virus under control, according to a new CDC report.
PICTURES: AIDS hotspots: 15 states with most cases
"The big picture is we could do a lot better than we're doing today," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, the CDC's director.
Why is the treatment success rate so low? Partly because, of the 1.2 million Americans who have HIV - the infection that causes AIDS - 20 percent don't know they're infected. That's 240,000 people. People can have the infection for years without developing symptoms.
Another reason for the low success rate, only about 40 percent of people with HIV are getting HIV-fighting medications regularly. Worse, only 28 percent have gotten the virus to low levels in their blood. That translates to roughly 850,000 Americans who don't have the virus controlled, Frieden said.
Success rates were lowest in blacks and women, he said.
"The fact that nearly three quarters of Americans living with HIV still have the virus circulating in their bodies, damaging their brains and immune systems and putting their sexual partner at risk is something we think we can do a lot about," Frieden told Reuters.
The report - published Tuesday on the CDC's website - was based on surveys and surveillance reports from 2010 and a study that focused on medical care for people with HIV.
There are several reasons why more people aren't faring better, the CDC said. Some were still early in their treatment before medication took effect. Some dropped routine care because of money or other reasons. For a small percentage of cases, the treatment may not have worked.
The good news is that once HIV-infected people get plugged into medical care, the drugs bring the virus under control nearly 80 percent of the time. The bad news? Not enough people are being diagnosed, and the gap between those who are diagnosed and those who get in - and stay in - treatment is worrisome, according to AIDS experts.
"It's not good enough to get them tested," said Dr. Diane Havlir, chief of the HIV/AIDS program at San Francisco General Hospital.
San Francisco has been unusually aggressive in its techniques to buck this trend. Patients are routinely tested for HIV at emergency rooms, and everyone who is diagnosed with the infection is offered treatment. In other hospitals, treatment is sometimes delayed until the patient's immune system dips below a certain level.
Health officials elsewhere in the U.S. are trying unique approaches to get more people diagnosed. A Department of Motor Vehicles office in Washington D.C. offers people waiting for address changes and new licenses a $5 gift card if they get an HIV test, in an attempt to lower the city's high infection rate, CBS News reported.
On Tuesday, the CDC also announced a $2.4 million new campaign that encourages HIV testing among black gay and bisexual men, who account for nearly a quarter of all new HIV infections in the United States.
About 16,000 people die from the disease annually, and the number of new infections each year in the U.S. has held steady at about 50,000 in recent years.
WebMD has more on HIV/AIDS.
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If they ask for any information, it is not truly anonymous, zip code, birthday or first names can be added up and searched in a computer data base, they may even be better identifiers, than persons, last name.
I was the recipient of an extremely large amount of human blood, during the time when HIV was in the blood supply, some how I managed to beat the odds, I do not have it.
But in seeking anonymous testing I learned how to make up zip codes, and lie about my birthdate.
Everyone my age who was gay.....died.
I've seen people with full blown AIDS while a construction worker in a hospital, I had lunch in the cafeteria, then a patient walked in with a tray, the room quited, he sat down, people left.....how sad it was I thought, but people didn't understand it.
Today there is a workable cure, in Germany.
The FDA is beginning trials, but that takes years.
I would have never thought 3 out of 4 PLWHA would not be in care. My guess would have been 1 out of 4 , or maybe 2 out of 4. People are fatigued about the news of AIDS funding being cut. This is pushing people away from care, also people are prolonging care because of the advancements in medicine. In the late 80's and 90's if you didn't start meds right away, you'd most likely not survive. Today, that is not the case. However, people should not get discouraged about cuts in AIDS funding. Services are still out their, ASO's, NGO, CBO's are still wanting to help you. Whether it is ADAP, PAPs, Co-Pay assistance programs, some help still exists. While the paperwork and processeses have become cumbersome, you can get help to get you through it all and connected to the medicine and services you need. To those who are prolonging entering care, my advice to you, would be to re-consider your options. Research has indicated that intiating treatment sooner, rather than later can reduce the amount of the virus in your body. These are trying times for PLWHA, but through a strong community we will come together to help one another, push government for more funding, and continue in the fight against HIV/AIDS all the while holding out hope for a cure! Until then. Please be well my friends!
Kevin Maloney
twitter: RiseUpToHIV
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About 1,400 people every day who think "It can't happen to me" and are proven wrong.
Stupid.
By now, people know exactly what exposes them to HIV. It's not a matter of education -- where feckless researchers actually believe the ignorance excuse -- but of moral suasion, a dicey proposition in this impulsive, amoral society.