HIV-positive individuals learned their diagnosis sooner in 2015 than previous years, according to a CDC Vital Signs report published Tuesday.
For the report, researchers analyzed national HIV surveillance data compiled by the CDC for 2015 and compared it with previously reported data on HIV infection rates for 2011. Researchers estimated the average time between HIV infection and diagnosis was three years in 2015. For 2011, the timeframe was three years and seven months.
"These findings are more encouraging signs that the tide continues to turn on our nation's HIV epidemic," said Brenda Fitzgerald, MD, director of the CDC. "HIV is being diagnosed more quickly, the number of people who have the virus under control is up and annual infections are down. So while we celebrate our progress, we pledge to work together to end this epidemic forever."
While the CDC report outlines recent progress in HIV detection, it also highlights remaining challenges. Seventy percent of individuals at high-risk for HIV infection who weren't tested in 2015 saw a healthcare provider in the past year. More than 75 percent of them weren't offered an HIV test during the visit.
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