Extending acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) case surveillance systems to include confidential (name-based) reporting of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections provides data representing recent HIV transmission patterns (1). These data may improve the ability of public health agencies to plan and evaluate HIV prevention and treatment services.
The southern region of the United States* accounts for the largest proportion (34%) of the 641,086 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases reported through 1997 and for 54% of the 58,689 AIDS cases among persons residing in rural areas (CDC, unpublished data, 1998). This report describes characteristics of persons in-fected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who reside in rural areas and small cities of the southern United States and indicates that, before infection, there was a low prevalence of perceived risk.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports October 30, 1998 / 47(RR20);1-51
These guidelines update previous CDC recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis (TB) among adults and children coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States. The most notable changes in these guidelines reflect both the findings of clinical trials that evaluated new drug regimens for treating and preventing TB among HIV-infected persons and recent advances in the use of antiretroviral therapy.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports - October 16, 1998 / 47(RR19);1-39
These guidelines update previous CDC recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis (TB) among adults and children coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States. The most notable changes in these guidelines reflect both the findings of clinical trials that evaluated new drug regimens for treating and preventing TB among HIV-infected persons and recent advances in the use of antiretroviral therapy.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports, September 25, 1998/Vol. 47/No. RR-17
The most effective methods for preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are those that protect against exposure to HIV. Preventive behaviors include sexual abstinence, sex only with an uninfected partner, consistent and correct condom use, abstinence from injecting-drug use, and consistent use of sterile equipment by those unable to cease injecting-drug use. Some health-care providers have proposed offering antiretroviral drugs to persons with unanticipated sexual or injecting-drug-use HIV exposure to prevent transmission. However, because no data exist regarding the efficacy of this therapy for persons with nonoccupational HIV exposure, it should be considered an unproven clinical intervention.
In 1994, the Public Health Service (PHS) published guidelines for zidovudine (ZDV) use to reduce perinatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (1), and in 1995 published guidelines for HIV counseling and voluntary testing of pregnant women (2). To directly assess the implementation of these guidelines and to identify barriers to the continued reduction of perinatal transmission, four states that conduct surveillance for HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and South Carolina) enhanced routine surveillance activities to conduct a population-based evaluation.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports, May 15, 1998/Vol. 47/No. RR-7
This report updates and consolidates all previous PHS recommendations for the management of health-care workers (HCWs) who have occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids that may contain human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); it includes recommendations for HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and discusses the scientific rationale for PEP. The decision to recommend HIV postexposure prophylaxis must take into account the nature of the exposure (e.g., needlestick or potentially infectious fluid that comes in contact with a mucous membrane) and the amount of blood or body fluid involved in the exposure.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports, April 24, 1998 / 47(RR-5);1-41
The past 2 years have witnessed remarkable advances in the development of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, as well as measurement of HIV plasma RNA (viral load) to guide the use of antiretroviral drugs. The use of ART, in conjunction with the prevention of specific HIV-related opportunistic infections (OIs), has been associated with dramatic decreases in the incidence of OIs, hospitalizations, and deaths among HIV-infected persons.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports, April 24, 1998 / 47(RR-5);42-82
With the development and FDA approval of an increasing number of antiretroviral agents, decisions regarding the treatment of HIV-infected persons have become complex; and the field continues to evolve rapidly. In 1996, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation convened the Panel on Clinical Practices for the Treatment of HIV to develop guidelines for the clinical management of HIV-infected persons.
Recent reports based on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) surveillance data have highlighted substantial declines in AIDS incidence and deaths. As a result of improvements in treatment and care of persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), surveillance of AIDS alone no longer accurately reflects the magnitude or direction of the epidemic.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports, April 17, 1998/Vol. 47/No. RR-4
These guidelines were developed by the Working Group on Antiretroviral Therapy and Medical Management of HIV-Infected Children convened by the National Pediatric and Family HIV Resource Center (NPHRC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Approximately 25 million persons each year in the United States are tested for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Publicly funded counseling and testing (CT) programs conduct approximately 2.5 million of these tests each year. CT can have important prevention benefits; however, in 1995, 25% of persons testing HIV-positive and 33% of persons testing HIV-negative at publicly funded clinics did not return for their test results.
A total of 641,086 cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) had been reported to CDC through December 1997. Of these, 1783 (0.3%) occurred in American Indians and Alaskan Natives (AI/ANs). AI/ANs reprevent <1% of the total U.S. population (272 million persons) and are characteristically diverse, comprising many tribes . . . .
MMWR Recommendations and Reports, January 30, 1998/Vol. 47/No. RR-2
These recommendations update the 1994 guidelines developed by the Public Health Service for the use of zidovudine (ZDV) to reduce the risk for perinatal human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmission. * This report provides health-care providers with information for discussion with HIV-1-infected pregnant women to enable such women to make an informed decision regarding the use of antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy. Various circumstances that commonly occur in clinical practice are presented as scenarios and the factors influencing treatment considerations are highlighted in this report.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports, January 23, 1998/Vol. 47/No. RR-1
These guidelines for the treatment of patients who have sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were developed by CDC staff members after consultation with a group of invited experts who met in Atlanta on February 10-12, 1997. The information in this report updates the "1993 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines" (MMWR 1993;42{no. RR-14}). Included are new recommendations for treatment of primary and recurrent genital herpes and management of pelvic inflammatory disease; a new patient-applied medication for treatment of genital warts; and a revised approach to the management of victims of sexual assault.
Early in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, infection occurred disproportionately among older persons as a result of transmission through receipt of contaminated blood or blood products. Through 1989, receipt of contaminated blood or blood products accounted for only 1% of cases among persons aged13-49 years; in comparison, this risk factor accounted for 6%, 28%, and 64% of cases among persons aged 50-59 years, 60-69 years, and less than, or equal to, 70 years, respectively.
Notifiable disease reporting laws or regulations in states and territories require reporting of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases, including patient and physician names, to state and local health authories. As of January 1, 1998, a total of 31 states were conducting name-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) case surveillance by using the same methods as surveillance for AIDS. However, because of concerns about name-based HIV surveillance, Maryland and Texas implemented HIV surveillance using non-name unique identifiers (UI).