70 of Americans with HIV don't have virus under control: CDC

By Staff Reporter - 26 Nov '14 13:16PM

Only 30 percent of Americans living with HIV have the virus under control and are taking medication, putting others at risk of infection, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.

There are more than 1.2 million people living with HIV in the US, and with new infections arising at a rate of around 50,000 a year, the virus continues to pose a threat to public health and well-being, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) latest Vital Signs Report, which analyzes HIV data for 2011.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, causes AIDS, a syndrome that destroys the body's ability to fight off infections. There are treatments but no cures for HIV/AIDS.

More than a million Americans have HIV, and about 50,000 more become infected every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducted the study.

The study found that of 1.2 million people who were living with HIV in the United States in 2011, fewer than three in 10 had the virus under control. Twenty percent had never even been diagnosed. And about 66 percent of those who had been diagnosed were no longer in care.

"For people living with HIV, it's not just about knowing you're infected - it's also about going to the doctor for medical care," said CDC Director Tom Frieden in a statement.

"And for health care facilities, it's not just about the patients in your care - it's every person diagnosed, and every person whose diagnosis has not yet been made," he said. "Key to controlling the nation's HIV epidemic is helping people with HIV get connected to - and stay in - care and treatment, to suppress the virus, live longer and help protect others."

"It's alarming that fewer than half of HIV-positive young adults know they are infected," said Eugene McCray, director of CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. "Closing that gap could have a huge impact on controlling HIV - knowing your status is the first critical step toward taking care of your own health and avoiding transmission to others."