The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a health advisory to alert physicians, hospitals and health departments across the country to be on the lookout for increases in injection drug-related HIV and hepatitis C infections.
The CDC advisory was made after the number of individuals infected with HIV soared in one Indiana county, leading Gov. Mike Pence to declare a public health disaster in the county.
According to the advisory, "Urgent action is needed to prevent further HIV and [hepatitis C virus] transmission in this area and to investigate and control any similar outbreaks in other communities."
As of April 21, the CDC had identified 135 people with newly diagnosed HIV infections in the Indiana community of 4,200 people, 84 percent of whom were also infected with hepatitis C.
The CDC also issued recommendations for health departments and healthcare providers, including ensuring complete contact tracing for all new HIV diagnoses and testing of all their contacts for HIV and hepatitis C infections.
To read the full list of recommendations, click here.
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