A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that one-third of ongoing human immunodeficiency disease (HIV) transmissions in the U.S. result from individuals who are unaware that they have the disease. The agency also says that in 2011, approximately 14 percent of the estimated 1.2 million individuals with HIV are undiagnosed. The underdiagnosis is said to contribute to the continuous spread of the disease.
CDC collected data from 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) through the National HIV Surveillance System to determine the number of patients with HIV that are medically diagnosed and those that are not from 2008-2012. The researchers initially came up with an estimated number of total infections and obtain its difference with the estimated percentage of diagnosis. This equation then yielded the number of undiagnosed HIV infections among the study group.
The study findings reveal that the percentage of individuals who were diagnosed with HIV varies depending on the jurisdiction they are in. Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, and New York were able to comply with National HIV/AIDS Strategy target of making 90 percent of the HIV infected patients aware of their serological condition. This national objective is an essential tool in achieving the larger goal, which is the reduction of new HIV cases in the US.
The report also delved into the data of Men-Who-Have-Sex-With-Men (MSM). The researchers found that only about 75 percent of HIV patients in Louisiana know that they have the condition, and only two jurisdictions were able to comply with the national target. MSM comprise about 60 percent of newly diagnosed HIV infections every year. They are also often targeted during HIV screenings.
In terms of nationwide data, 87 percent of US citizens are aware of their HIV diagnosis. The jurisdiction that has the lowest rate of HIV diagnosis awareness is Louisiana, with only 77 percent of the total HIV-infected population are well aware about their disease.
CDC states that this current study is restricted by two limitations. The first limitation is the fact that people move from state to state, resulting in late entry of updated addresses in the National HIV Surveillance System. As the data were based on the current residential addresses, any delay may affect the accuracy of the results. The second limitation is that different states carried out HIV reporting protocols over time and for this, data adjustments have to be made to facilitate the delayed and incomplete reports. Although, the results are still quite stable, slight inaccuracies may not be prevented.
Diagnosis is a crucial initial method during the entire care process of HIV. Being given the correct diagnosis enables patients to receive appropriate treatments, control viral load and build up on immunity so that further spread of the disease, as well as morbidity and mortality, may be avoided. CDC advises all individuals in the adolescent and adult ages to have themselves checked at least once. Those who are highly prone to contract the virus are recommended to undergo testing at least once a year. Reports suggest that more people are undergoing testing and this may be one of the reasons why undiagnosed HIV cases continue to decline in the past years.
Photo: Wheeler Cowperthwaite | Flickr
