Maine
Maine experts aim to raise awareness amid rise in HIV cases
PORTLAND (WGME) – Five cases of HIV have been detected in Cumberland County among people who inject drugs, according to an alert from the Maine CDC.
Five cases in a year is a significant jump from the one case the county sees in a typical year.
The state wants to get the message out that people at risk, like intravenous drug users, should get tested every three months.
Experts say the reason behind the spike in cases could be a decrease in testing, a change in syringe-service programs or lack of awareness.
They say having awareness is one of the best ways to slow the spread.
“Every person who tests positive, if they get on medicine, that cannot transmit the virus, so every time we identify someone with HIV, we can get them into care, reduces chance of transmitting,” Dr. Stephen Rawlings of the MaineHealth Adult Specialty Care Clinic said. “Any one case above baseline is too many, so just increased awareness is really part of the response to get people on testing.”
The CDC says people who are not at risk of HIV should still get at least one test in their life.