An estimated 850,000--950,000 persons in the United States are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including 180,000--280,000 who do not know they are infected. To examine trends of diagnoses for 2000--2003, CDC analyzed HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) together as HIV/AIDS (i.e., HIV infection with or without AIDS), counted by the year of earliest reported diagnosis of HIV infection. From 2000 to 2003, in 32 states* that used confidential, name-based reporting of HIV and AIDS cases for >4 years, the overall annual rate of diagnosis of HIV/AIDS remained stable. However, rates among non-Hispanic black females were 19 times higher than rates among non-Hispanic white females, underscoring the need for continued emphasis on programs targeting females in racial/ethnic minority populations to reduce the number of cases of HIV/AIDS.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports - December 15, 2004 / 53(RR15);1-112
The National Institutes of Health, the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and CDC have developed guidelines for treatment of opportunistic infections (OIs) among adults and adolescents infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These guidelines are intended for clinicians and other health-care providers who care for HIV-infected adults and adolescents, including pregnant women; they complement companion guidelines for treatment of OIs among HIV-infected children and previously published guidelines for prevention of OIs in these populations.
MMWR Recommendations and Reports - December 3, 2004 / 53(RR14);1-63
In 2001, CDC, the National Institutes of Health, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America convened a working group to develop guidelines for therapy of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated opportunistic infections to serve as a companion to the Guidelines for Prevention of Opportunistic Infections Among HIV-Infected Persons. In recognition of unique considerations related to HIV infection among infants, children, and adolescents, a separate pediatric working group was established.
During 1998--2002, the STD/HIV Prevention and Care Program of the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) recorded 1,582 cases of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis, the most of any U.S. city (1). Although case numbers and overall rates remained stable in Chicago during this period, patterns of transmission changed substantially. Throughout most of the 1990s, P&S syphilis was reported almost exclusively among heterosexuals. During 1998--2000, however, men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for approximately 15% of Chicago's P&S syphilis morbidity....
Because syphilis infection facilitates acquisition and transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (1,2), recent outbreaks of syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) in major U.S. cities (3), including San Francisco and Los Angeles (4,5), and reported increases in sexual risk behavior (5) have raised concerns about potential increases in HIV transmission.
In the United States, an estimated 700,000--800,000 persons are infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae each year (1,2). Since 1993, CDC has recommended use of fluoroquinolones (i.e., ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, or levofloxacin) for gonorrhea treatment. Fluoroquinolone therapy is used frequently because it is an inexpensive, oral, and single-dose therapy. However, because of increased prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae (QRNG)* in Asia, the Pacific Islands (including Hawaii), and California, fluoroquinolones are no longer recommended for treating gonorrhea acquired in those locations (3--5). This report describes increases in QRNG among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Massachusetts, New York City, and 30 sites surveyed by the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP) during 2003. CDC recommends that clinicians no longer use fluoroquinolones as a first-line treatment for gonorrhea in MSM.
In 2003, CDC released Advancing HIV Prevention: New Strategies for a Changing Epidemic. One of the four strategies of this initiative is to expand routine, voluntary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing. This report describes the results of a state-funded program in Massachusetts that offered HIV counseling, testing, and referral (HIV CTR) to patients entering one of four hospital-associated urgent care centers. Among the 3,068 patients tested, the program identified an HIV seroprevalence of 2.0%. The findings underscore the effectiveness of routine HIV CTR in HIV case identification.
In the United States, an estimated 700,000--800,000 persons are infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae each year (1,2). Since 1993, CDC has recommended use of fluoroquinolones (i.e., ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, or levofloxacin) for gonorrhea treatment. Fluoroquinolone therapy is used frequently because it is an inexpensive, oral, and single-dose therapy. However, because of increased prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae (QRNG)* in Asia, the Pacific Islands (including Hawaii), and California, fluoroquinolones are no longer recommended for treating gonorrhea acquired in those locations (3--5). This report describes increases in QRNG among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Massachusetts, New York City, and 30 sites surveyed by the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP) during 2003. CDC recommends that clinicians no longer use fluoroquinolones as a first-line treatment for gonorrhea in MSM.
Worldwide, the majority of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections result from heterosexual transmission (1). To characterize heterosexual transmission of HIV infections in the United States, CDC analyzed data for 1999--2002 from the 29 states* that have met CDC standards (2) for name-based HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) reporting for >4 years†.
An estimated one third of Internet visits by persons aged >18 years are to sexually oriented websites, chat rooms, and news groups that enable users to view sexual images or participate in online discussions of a sexual nature (1). Although so-called "virtual sex" carries no risk for transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), use of the Internet to find partners for actual sexual activity does carry such risk (2).
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