HIV Testing in the U. S. Julie Saber Galen College of Nursing October 2016

HIV is an acronym for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Why should I get Tested What is HIV HIV weakens the immune system and increases risk for infections and cancers and can be fatal if left untreated With medications and a healthy lifestyle HIV can be controlled 1.2 million people in the U.S. are currently living with HIV 1 in 8 of them are unaware they are HIV+ If a person is unaware of their HIV+ status they are more likely to transmit HIV to others HIV cannot be treated without first being identified by getting tested CDC (2016) http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html

CDC (2016) http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html Estimated New HIV Diagnoses in the United States for the Most-Affected Subpopulations, 2014 HIV infections by Gender Race/Ethnicity Sexual Orientation Source: CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2014 . HIV Surveillance Report 2015;26. Subpopulations representing 2% or less of HIV diagnoses are not reflected in this chart. Abbreviation: MSM, men who have sex with men. CDC (2016) http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html

Clip Art (2016) https://www.bing.com/images/

What does testing involve Sample of Blood or Saliva Antibody Test Combination or 4th Generation Test Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) Test is a measure of the presence of antibody proteins created to fight HIV Sample for test can be either blood or saliva Can be done at home Used for rapid testing New HIV infections take from 3-12 weeks to be detectable by this test Test for the presence of HIV antibodies and antigens Sample for test can be either blood or saliva Can be done as a rapid test Recommended to be done in a lab New HIV infections take from 2-6 weeks to be detectable by this test Test is looking specifically for HIV Sample for testing is blood It is the fastest way to detect HIV New HIV infections take from 7- 28 days to be detectable by this test Used for high risk exposure and or risk for exposure with symptoms of early HIV infection CDC (2016) http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/testing/index.html

“Summary Health Statistics for U. S “Summary Health Statistics for U. S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey 2012” (CDC, 2014) Reveals very low HIV Testing Rates, of 234,921 adults 18 years of age and older: Ever tested vs. Never tested Percent distribution2 (standard error) 35% have been tested for HIV at least one time 65% never tested for HIV CDC (2014) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf

Methodology Used in Survey Data Limitations Participants Procedures Samples of households were surveyed across the country Civilians (Noninstitutionalized) Adults of 18 years of age and over Questionnaires for this topic self report of: ever tested or never having been tested for HIV Surveys performed by trained staff from the U. S. Census Bureau Sample size included 32 states & D. C. Sample adult weights are used in estimates to represent all persons Surveys included demographic, socioeconomic and other characteristic information Samples of populations are subject to sampling errors as all cannot be represented Different format was used in 2012 Missing data is possible CDC (2014) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf

CDC (2014) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf

CDC (2014) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf Alarming High Rates of U. S. Citizens that have Never Been Tested for HIV CDC (2014) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf

CDC (2014) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf

Conclusion In U. S. there is a huge opportunity to reduce new HIV infection rates Getting tested and treated if HIV+ will greatly reduce transmission rates of new infections With 1.2 million people living with HIV and only 1 in 8 knowing they have HIV getting everyone tested is an urgent step in eliminating HIV (CDC, 2016) HIV is treatable and can have the same life expectancy as someone without HIV if detected early and treated Treatment cannot begin without first getting tested http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html

REFERENCES Bing.com Images. (2016). Clip Art retrieved from https://www.bing.com/images CDC. (2016). HIV in the United States: at a Glance. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html CDC. (2014). Summary Health Statistics for U. S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey: 2012. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_260.pdf