3 years. This is the time after which infection with HIV is most commonly diagnosed in the United States, according to the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
If an improvement has been observed since 2011 in HIV diagnosis times, the figures remain worrying and a public health issue in the fight against AIDS. Indeed, the HIV virus is detected 3 years after infection, while 40% of new HIV infections are HIV positive people who ignore it.
“If you are at risk of getting infected with HIV, get tested, ”says Jonathan Mermin, director of the National Center for HIV / AIDS, Hepatitis and Tuberculosis Prevention at CDC.
“The advantages are clear: rapid diagnosis improves prevention,” he recalls.
“When HIV infection is diagnosed more quickly, the number of people who can control the virus – by antiretroviral treatment, editor’s note. – increases and new infections decrease, ”insists Brenda Fitzgerald, director of the CDC.
CDC recommendations
In conclusion, the CDC reminds that people aged 13 to 64 must be tested at least once in their life. For people at high risk of infection, such as sexually active gay and bisexual men, tests should be done at least once a year, or even every six months. The same recommendation is intended for the 42% of people who inject drugs as well as the 59% of heterosexuals at increased risk of being infected with the drug. HIV.
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