Detection is the first step in prevention
The CDC guidelines call for routine HIV screening
Objectives:
- Increase HIV screening of patients, including pregnant women
- Detect HIV infection earlier in the disease state
- Identidy and counsel people with unrecognized HIV infection. The majority of people who are aware of their HIV infection substantially reduce risky behaviors to reduce further transmission.
- Link HIV+ people to care to maximize the benfit of therapy
Risk-based testing is NOT reaching the goal of identifying all HIV+ people.
The CDC guidelines recommend these steps to help stop the spread of HIV:
- Screen all people 13-64 years old in all healthcare settings
- Identify all HIV+ people. Connect them to care early.
- Educate people about risk factors to empower them to stay healthy
Detection is a critical step in prevention
- More than 1.1 million people in the US are infected with HIV and 232,700 don’t know it
- Data suggests these uninformed people cause 54-70% of the new infections annually
- Studies show that 75% of HIV+ people will change risky behaviors when they learn their status
Objective of routine screening:
- Increase the number of people screened for HIV
- Educate people about risk factors to empower them to stay healthy
- Identify all HIV+ people, connect them to early care