Science Speaks Covers HIV Interventions that Make a Difference

What if Scott County, Indiana had established a syringe service program before 2015, when 181 of the area’s 24,000 residents were diagnosed with HIV? What HIV testing approach leads to the highest rates of diagnosis? IDSA and HIVMA’s global Science Speaks blog found the answers to these questions, covering reports that examined the outcomes and potential benefits of effective HIV interventions at home and abroad with posts on:

• A modeling study detailed in Clinical Infectious Diseases showing the relative benefits of a sterile syringe program in Scott County, Indiana, if implemented before the 2015 HIV outbreak there, as well as after;
• A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of HIV index testing results across 20 countries, reported in the May 31 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, indicating the intervention doubles diagnosis rates.