Medical expert of the article
New publications
Forewarned means saved! 28% of HIV-positive Americans are in control of their disease
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
About 1.2 million Americans live with HIV, but only 28% of them control their disease, according to a report by the US Department of Health.
Efforts to identify, treat and reduce transmission of the virus must be doubled, a new study by the CDC, published on the eve of World AIDS Day (1 December), states.
"We have all the tools to stop the spread of HIV," said CDC director, Dr. Thomas Frieden.
"People who started early HIV treatment when their immune system is still relatively strong, 96% less infect their partners, which means that treatment is of great importance for preventing the spread of infection," he said.
"We still have a lot to do to fully see the positive effect of antiretroviral therapy." "Approximately 850,000 HIV-infected Americans do not control their disease," Frieden said.
"The first step is to identify people with HIV status through testing, and the second is to make sure that everyone with HIV has all the options for medical care after diagnosis," he added.
The CDC recommends that HIV tests be part of preventive examinations, and for high-risk groups, testing should be carried out at least once a year. According to the CDC report, in 2010 only 9.6% of adult Americans were tested for HIV.
Out of 900 000 people with HIV who know about their diagnosis, 89% of them get antiretroviral therapy.
Dr. Margaret Fischl, Director of the Clinical Department of AIDS Research, said: "We must continue to insist that people understand the importance of HIV testing." Every young and sexually active person should undergo an HIV test. "