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Robert Janssen
CDC, Atlanta, GA
In the United States, HIV incidence peaked in the mid 1980's and stabilized in the early 1990's at about 40,000 new infections per year. However, in the last three years, reports suggest that sexually transmitted diseases are increasing among gay and bisexual men. In addition, largely as a result of combination antiretroviral therapy, an increasing number of persons are living with HIV.
HIV prevention programs have historically tailored activities for specific groups based on behavioral risk factors and demographic characteristics such as race/ethnicity, gender, and age. In addition to current CDC programs that focus on preventing acquisition of the virus by HIV-negative persons, CDC is expanding its prevention efforts through the SAFE initiative to promote interventions for HIV-positive persons to prevent transmission to their partners.
For HIV-infected persons, SAFE comprises five action steps that focus on diagnosing all HIV-infected persons, linking them to appropriate high quality care and prevention services, helping them adhere to treatment regimens, and supporting them in adopting and sustaining HIV risk reduction behavior. For HIV-negative persons, SAFE will focus on better referral systems and intensifying science-based prevention interventions.
© 8th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections