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Sophisticated mapping and medical record technologies can help target AIDS-related resources to those who need it most, according to several studies presented at the 2011 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta. Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at CDC, which sponsored the gathering, said the research will help inform implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
Dr. Alexandra Oster of CDC and colleagues presented data on a study of nearly 30,000 people in 21 US cities. They noted HIV infection rates well above the national average among three at-risk groups: men who have sex with men (19 percent); injection drug users (9 percent); and heterosexuals in low socioeconomic groups (2 percent). Nearly half of those with HIV did not know they were infected, the team said. The infection rate for the general US population is 0.47 percent.
A study of residents of Los Angeles County used disease mapping software to track HIV infection and treatment rates. Dr. Jennifer Sayles, director of the county’s Office of AIDS Programs and Policy, looked at treatment coverage among the roughly 12,000 HIV-positive residents whose care is paid for through the Ryan White program. While 90 percent of these patients reported antiretroviral treatment, a cross-check of ZIP codes found significant variations in treatment by neighborhood. Blacks, people under age 24, recent substance abusers, recent prisoners, and the poor were more likely to have poorly controlled disease.
Dr. Ann Avery of the Cleveland Department of Public Health presented a study on the impact of an HIV testing prompt added to the electronic medical records at MetroHealth, a city-based hospital system. At the study’s start just 4 percent of patients were screened for HIV. Six months after implementation, testing at the hospital’s outpatient clinics increased by almost two-thirds. First-time testing among men increased from 2.9 percent to 6.1 percent.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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