Preventing HIV in injection drug users: Choosing the best mix of interventions for the population

Injection drug users (IDUs) transmit the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) via both needle sharing and sex. This analysis explores the effects of population risk behaviors, intervention effectiveness, intervention costs, and budget and capacity constraints when allocating funds between two prevention programs to maximize effectiveness. The two interventions, methadone maintenance and street outreach, address different types of risk behavior. We developed a model of the spread of HIV and dwided IDUs into susceptible (uninfected) persons and infective persons and separately portrayed sex and injection risk. We simulated the epidemic in San Francisco, California, and New York City for periods from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s and incorporated the behavioral effects of the two interventions. We used the simulation to find the allocation of a fixed budget to the two interventions that averted the greatest number of infections in the IDUs and their noninjecting sex partners. We assumed that interventions have increasing marginal costs. In the epidemic scenarios, our analysis found that the best allocation nearly always involves spending as much as possible on street outreach. This result is largely insensitive to variations in epidemic scenario, intervention efficacy, and cost. However, the absolute and relative benefits of the best allocation varied. In mid-1990s San Francisco, maximizing spending on outreach averted 3.5% of total HIV infections expected and 10 times the 0.3% from maximizing spending on treatment. In late 1980s New York City, the difference is five-fold (2.6% vs. 0.44%, respectively). Our analyses suggest that, even though prevention works better in higher risk scenarios, the choice of intervention mix is more important in the lower risk scenarios. Models and analyses such as those presented heve may help decision makers adapt individual prevention programs to their own communities and to reallocate resources among programs to reflect the evolution of their own epidemics.     

Co-located Substance Use Treatment and HIV Prevention and Primary Care Services,New York State, 1990–2002: A Model for Effective Service Delivery to a High-Risk Population

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) AIDS Institute (AI) began an initiative in 1990 in collaboration with the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to colocate HIV prevention and clinical services at drug treatment clinics. In 1990, the initiative began funding drug treatment programs to provide HIV counseling, testing, and prevention services. HIV primary care was added the following year. Program implementation and development are described. An analysis is included of HIV counseling and testing data for the period 1990–2002 and quality of care data for five standardized quality measures with comparisons to data from other clinical settings. In the first 13 years of the initiative 168,340 HIV-antibody tests were conducted including 52,562 tests of injection drug users (IDUs) identifying 14,612 HIV-infected persons; the seroprevalence was 8.68%. By the end of 2000, the HIV primary care caseload peaked at 3,815 patients. Quality of primary medical care services among participating drug treatment programs has consistently matched or exceeded that provided in more conventional health care settings such as the hospitals and community health centers that were used as a basis for comparison. Colocating HIV primary care within substance use treatment is an effective strategy for providing accessible high-quality HIV prevention and primary care services. Rothman is with the Bureau of HIV Ambulatory Care, AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA; Rudnick and Slifer are with the Substance Abuse Unit, AIDS Institute, New York, NY, USA; Agins is with the Office of the Medical Director, AIDS Institute, New York, NY, USA; Heiner is with the Karl Heiner Statistical Consulting, Ltd., Schenectady, New York, USA; Birkhead is with the AIDS Institute, Albany, New York, USA.     

New York City's initiatives on diabetes and HIV/AIDS: implications for patient care, public health, and medical professionalism

Two recent New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene initiatives expanded the mission and scope of public health, with implications for both New York and the nation. The programs target diabetes and HIV/AIDS for greater systemic and expanded reporting, surveillance, and intervention. These initiatives do not balance heightened surveillance and intervention with the provision of meaningful safeguards or resources for prevention and treatment. The programs intrude on the doctor-patient relationship and may alienate the very patients and health professionals they aim to serve. Better models are available to achieve their intended goals. These initiatives should be reconsidered so that such an expansion of public health authority in New York City does not become part of a national trend.     

Estimating the return of persons living with HIV/AIDS to New Orleans: methods for conducting disease surveillance in the wake of a natural disaster

Hurricane Katrina disrupted HIV/AIDS surveillance by invalidating the New Orleans, La, surveillance and population data on persons living with HIV/AIDS. We describe 2 methods--population return and HIV surveillance data--to estimate the return of the infected population to New Orleans. It is estimated that 58% to 64% of 7068 persons living with HIV/AIDS returned by summer 2006. Although developed for HIV planning, these methods could be used with other disease surveillance programs.     

High HIV Prevalence and Diagnosis Rates in New York City Black Men

We sought to identify population and subpopulation disparities in rates of HIV diagnosis and prevalence among black males 13 years and older in New York City. We used population-based data from the New York City HIV/AIDS surveillance registry and US Census 2000 to calculate HIV prevalence in 2006 and HIV diagnosis rates in 2007. Black males were the largest demographic group of new HIV diagnoses (n = 1,161, 33%) and persons living with HIV/AIDS in New York City (n = 24,294, 29%) and had the highest diagnosis rates (1.7 per 1,000 population) and prevalence (3.7%). Prevalence and diagnosis rates among black males were higher in higher-poverty neighborhoods than in lower-poverty neighborhoods (p < 0.01). However, very high prevalence (19.3%) was found among black males in three adjacent Manhattan neighborhoods with relatively low poverty rates, and where overall diagnosis rates among black males (7.4 per 1,000) and proportions attributable to men who have sex with men (60.0%) were high. HIV-related disparities exist not only between black males and other groups but also within black males. Success addressing the citywide HIV epidemic will be linked to success in the various portions of this highly affected, heterogeneous population.     

Projections of the number of persons diagnosed with AIDS and the number of immunosuppressed HIV-infected persons--United States, 1992-1994.

This report presents projections of the number of persons who will initially be diagnosed with a condition included in the 1987 surveillance definition for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States during the period 1992-1994. The report also presents estimates and projections of the prevalence of persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who have CD4+ T-lymphocyte (T-cell) counts < 200/microL and who have not been diagnosed with a condition listed in the 1987 AIDS surveillance definition. These estimates and projections are used to predict the effect of expanding the AIDS surveillance definition to include all HIV-infected persons with a CD4+ T-cell count < 200/microL. Approximately 58,000 persons were diagnosed with AIDS in the United States during 1991. During the period 1992-1994, the number of persons newly diagnosed with AIDS is expected to increase by at most a few percent annually, with approximately 60,000-70,000 persons diagnosed per year. Although AIDS diagnoses among homosexual and bisexual men and among injecting drug users are projected to reach a plateau during this period, the number of AIDS diagnoses among persons whose HIV infection is attributed to heterosexual transmission of HIV is likely to continue to increase through 1994. The number of living persons who have been diagnosed with AIDS is expected to increase from approximately 90,000 in January 1992 to approximately 120,000 in January 1995. There is, however, considerable uncertainty in these projections. For example, the plausible range for the number of persons initially diagnosed with AIDS in 1994 is 43,000-93,000. CDC estimates that, as of January 1992, 115,000-170,000 U.S. residents had severe immunosuppression (a CD4+ T-cell count < 200 cells/microL without a diagnosis of AIDS in an HIV-infected person). Only about 50,000 of these persons were receiving medical care for HIV-related conditions and were known to have a CD4+ T-cell count < 200 cells/microL. The number of persons with severe immunosuppression is expected to increase to 130,000-205,000 by January 1995, with the actual number more likely to be in the lower half of this range than the upper half. The expanded AIDS surveillance definition, which includes severe immunosuppression, is predicted to result in an increase of approximately 75% in the number of persons reported during 1993, but an increase of < 20% in 1994 compared with the number of persons who would have been reported had the definition not been changed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

HIV-2 Infection Surveillance--United States, 1987-2009

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is categorized into two types, HIV-1 and HIV-2. Worldwide, most HIV infections are HIV-1, whereas HIV-2 largely has been confined to persons in or from West Africa. HIV-1 and HIV-2 have the same routes of transmission, and both can cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); however, HIV-2 infections should be differentiated from HIV-1 infections because they are less likely to cause AIDS and their clinical management differs. CDC's current surveillance case definition for HIV infection applies to both variants of HIV but lacks criteria for differentiating between HIV-1 and HIV-2. To enumerate and describe HIV-2 cases reported in the United States, a working case definition was developed. During 1988--June 2010, a total of 242 HIV-2 cases were reported to CDC. Of these, 166 met the working definition. These HIV-2 cases were concentrated in the Northeast (66%, including 46% in New York City) and occurred primarily among persons born in West Africa (81%). Ninety-seven of the HIV-2 cases also had a positive HIV-1 immunoblot antibody test result (e.g., Western blot). Immunoblot antibody tests currently used to confirm HIV reactive screening tests do not contain reagents specific to HIV-2 and thus are not reliable for identification of HIV-2 infections. Additional testing specific to HIV-2 should be considered if HIV-1 test results are atypical or inconsistent with clinical findings, especially for persons from West Africa. If an HIV case is reported to the health department but subsequently identified as HIV-2, health-care providers should update the case report to reflect the correct type.     

Analysis of a population-based Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia index as an outcome measure of access and quality of care for the treatment of HIV disease

OBJECTIVES: A population-based Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) Index was developed in New York City to identify geographic areas and subpopulations at increased risk for PCP. METHODS: A zip code-level PCP Index was created from AIDS surveillance and hospital discharge records and defined as (number of PCP-related hospitalizations)/(number of persons living with AIDS). RESULTS: In 1997, there were 2262 hospitalizations for PCP among 39 740 persons living with AIDS in New York City (PCP Index =.05691). PCP Index values varied widely across neighborhoods with high AIDS prevalence (West Village =.02532 vs Central Harlem =.08696). Some neighborhoods with moderate AIDS prevalence had strikingly high rates (Staten Island =.14035; northern Manhattan =.08756). CONCLUSIONS: The PCP Index highlights communities in particular need of public health interventions to improve HIV-related service delivery.     

Declining seroprevalence in a very large HIV epidemic: injecting drug users in New York City, 1991 to 1996.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed recent trends in HIV seroprevalence among injecting drug users in New York City. METHODS: We analyzed temporal trends in HIV seroprevalence from 1991 through 1996 in 5 studies of injecting drug users recruited from a detoxification program, a methadone maintenance program, research storefronts in the Lower East Side and Harlem areas, and a citywide network of sexually transmitted disease clinics. A total of 11,334 serum samples were tested. RESULTS: From 1991 through 1996, HIV seroprevalence declined substantially among subjects in all 5 studies: from 53% to 36% in the detoxification program, from 45% to 29% in the methadone program, from 44% to 22% at the Lower East Side storefront, from 48% to 21% at the Harlem storefront, and from 30% to 21% in the sexually transmitted disease clinics (all P < .002 by chi 2 tests for trend). CONCLUSIONS: The reductions in HIV seroprevalence seen among injecting drug users in New York City from 1991 through 1996 indicate a new phase in this large HIV epidemic. Potential explanatory factors include the loss of HIV-seropositive individuals through disability and death and lower rates of risk behavior leading to low HIV incidence.     

Implementation of named HIV reporting--New York City, 2001

Since 1981, population-based surveillance data on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been used in New York City (NYC) to monitor the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. In June 2000, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) began tracking diagnoses of HIV (non-AIDS) in addition to AIDS diagnoses. This report describes epidemiologic data from the first full calendar year of named HIV reporting in NYC. The findings indicate that, compared with persons living with AIDS (PLWA), persons who had HIV diagnosed during 2001 were more likely to be female, non-Hispanic black, younger (i.e., aged <45 years), and residents of the Bronx or Brooklyn. These newly available data describe the NYC population with HIV infection more accurately than data on PLWA and can be used to redirect HIV-prevention efforts to better target persons at highest risk for acquiring HIV infection.     

Incidence of HIV among injection drug users entering drug treatment programs in four US cities

We estimated seroincidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and prevalence of risk behaviors among injection drug users (IDUs) who accepted voluntary HIV testing on entry to drug treatment. Record-based incidence studies were conducted in 12 drug treatment programs in New York City (n = 890); Newark, New Jersey (n = 521); Seattle, Washington (n = 1,256); and Los Angeles, California (n = 733). Records of confidential HIV tests were abstracted for information on demographics, drug use, and HIV test results. More detailed data on risk behaviors were obtained by a standardized questionnaire. Although overall incidence rates were relatively low in this population (<1/100 person-years), there was a high prevalence of risk behaviors. Needle sharing was reported by more than one-third of the participants in each of the cities. HIV seroincidence rates were up to three-fold higher among younger ID Us. We found that HIV continued to be transmitted among ID Us who had received both drug treatment and HIV counseling and testing. HIV/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) prevention education should continue to be an important component of drug treatment.     

Condom Availability in New York City Schools

Despite strong protests from a minority group of critics, the New York City Board of Education adopted a measure February 27, 1991, approving universal availability of condoms in city high schools to students without the need for parental consent. This expanded HIV education program allows the system's 261,000 students in 120 public high schools to procure condoms from any of 17 clinics and any teacher or staff member volunteering for the program. While a few, small U.S. school districts have implemented such programs in efforts to curb the incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases infections, and unwanted pregnancies, this move by New York city's enormous school district could set the trend for similar action by other large school systems. The Centers for Disease Control document 691 cases of AIDS in youths aged 13-19, and 7,303 among those aged 20-24. More than 20% of U.S. AIDS cases are among those aged 20-29. Given the long incubation period for HIV, many if not most of these case probably stem from HIV infection during the teenage years. New York City accounts for 20% of all reported AIDS cases among youths aged 13-21, placing New York teens at disproportionate risk for infection. The number of infected adolescents doubles every 14 months. More than adults, these youths are likely to have contracted HIV through heterosexual contact instead of through IV-drug use or homosexual intercourse. Making condoms readily and confidentially available to adolescents, youths vulnerable to HIV infection will no longer fail to procure them due to embarrassment, fear of resistance from store clerks, and cost. The Youth News Service reveals youths to have been most supportive of the new program for several months, and anxious for its implementation. A random poll of adults found support for condom distribution in high schools and junior high schools to be 64% and 47%, respectively.     

Promoting self-help activities for people living with HIV / AIDS in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam

The rising epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Ho Chi Minh City presents new challenges for sexually transmitted disease/HIV prevention in Vietnam. Most HIV/AIDS cases are found south of the country and this puts a burden on the Ho Chi Minh City AIDS Committee. Building on experiences from other countries, the AIDS Committee successfully implemented measures such as needle-exchange programs, condom distribution, peer education, and outreach activities. It also established a meeting place, the Cafe Hy Vong, for female sex workers and intravenous drug users. From the beginning, the Committee regarded meeting the special needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PHA) as important prevention activities, and encouraged PHA to discuss their concerns with the committee. The PHA formed the Friend-to-Friend group in October 1995, where the Ho Chi Minh AIDS Committee gave its full support. The group organizes meetings and social gatherings where they can share their feelings and experiences, as well as get information and counseling.     

Examining the HIV/AIDS case management process

Eight themes in the HIV/AIDS case management process emerged from a 1998 study of 14 Ryan White Title I-funded case management programs in the New York City tri-county region. For individuals who were struggling with multiple environmental stressors, the diagnosis of HIV or AIDS was merely one of the many pressures that brought them to case management programs. Most came when they were in crisis. Using both chart reviews and focus groups with case managers and supervisors, this article reports that the activities that characterize this region's case management introduce alternative ways of thinking about the HIV/AIDS case management process.     

As AIDS cases wane, pressure grows for reporting HIV infections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new data demonstrating significant declines in the number of AIDS cases and deaths. This evidence is spurring support for nationwide HIV and AIDS surveillance. Currently, all States track AIDS cases and thirty States also track new HIV infections among adults and adolescents. California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, States with very high prevalence rates, are not among those States tracking new infections. According to the CDC, tracking AIDS cases alone is not sufficient for determining how public prevention and treatment funds should be allocated. Some AIDS policy advocates oppose HIV surveillance if it involves recording the names of those infected. Since 1985, the CDC has reviewed the value of asking all States to adopt some form of HIV surveillance. When the CDC recommended State tracking in 1993, there were strong objections raised by AIDS policy advocates. Following a May 1997 meeting with public health experts, health care providers, and policy advocates, the CDC reported growing support for HIV surveillance. Public health experts are examining the possibility of developing a unique identifier system that would eliminate the need to record individual names.     

Some clinical aspects of HIV infection in Africa

An update on clinical aspects of HIV in africa highlights new proposed clinical definitions of adult AIDS and of tuberculosis in HIV+ adults, and staging of adult HIV infection. The 1986 WHO clinical definition of AIDS has been widely used in Africa, but now research suggests that this definition has several limitations: the definition will pick up several unrelated diseases such as diabetes mellitus and renal failure. It does not ascertain cases of AIDS marked by nonopportunistic infections. Most persons with pulmonary tuberculosis may be wrongly diagnosed with AIDS by this definition. The study showed that the WHO clinical definition has good specificity and positive predictive value for HIV+ people, but its positive predictive value fell to 30% in identifying people with AIDS in Africa. New definitions should take into account any serious morbidity, tuberculosis, neurological disease, both endemic localized Kaposi's, and aggressive typical Kaposi's sarcoma, and HIV serological testing. Tuberculosis is a problem because few HIV+ people suspected of having pulmonary TB (sputum-negative TB) actually have it based on bronchoscopy, while HIV+ persons with TB experience high mortality, often from pyogenic bacteremia. HIV+ persons with TB suffer high rates of relapse, possibly related to insufficient drug treatment or reinfection. 1 study showed that 6 months of isoniazid significantly improved incidence of TB over 30 months of follow-up. Staging of AIDS in Africa based on degree of immunosuppression was proposed as: 1) clinically inapparent HIV infection marked by pulmonary TB, soft tissue infections, and community acquired pneumonia; 2) lymphadenopathy, oral thrush, widespread pruritic maculopapular rash, herpes zoster, enteric illness, dysentery, and Kaposi's sarcoma; and 3) HIV wasting syndrome, chronic pulmonary disease, meningitis, and fever of unknown origin.     

Broadening perspectives on mobile medical outreach to homeless people

Using data collected by Project Renewal's mobile medical services to homeless people in New York City, this paper discusses a tension between an emergency medicine model of outreach and that of primary care. In the former model, clinicians evaluate clients on the basis of presenting complaints and refer them, as necessary, for specialized treatment. The latter is a broader model of comprehensive outreach and/or treatment, where clinicians screen clients and assess them for various conditions offering ongoing evaluation and treatment on site. The model of outreach is applicable for some homeless clients, but the prevalence and overlap of physical complaints, infectious diseases, substance abuse, and psychiatric symptoms among homeless people in New York City has resulted in an evolution toward broader approaches to outreach in this population. Improvements in diagnostic testing and increasingly portable medical technology may make the mobile delivery of medical care to homeless persons increasingly feasible.     

Epidemic in the war zone: AIDS and community survival in New York City

The characteristics and consequences of the AIDS/HIV epidemic in New York City are examined, with special attention to its impact on inner-city communities. The high numbers of AIDS cases are the source of increasing stress on public and community treatment and family and neighborhood networks of support. As the epidemic deepens (8 to 10 thousand new cases per year are expected by 1992) these resources, already weakened by years of underfunding, are becoming overwhelmed and are in danger of collapse. The high rates of HIV infection in these communities (5 to 20 percent of adults aged 25 to 45) and their linkage to widespread drug use prefigure the development of endemic levels in several population subgroups, with substantial risk of heterosexual spread. Simultaneously, there is a steady diffusion of infection to adjacent urban areas and, via migration patterns, to localities quite distant from New York City (e.g., Puerto Rico). Some hope can be found in the advent of more effective methods of early intervention for presymptomatic HIV infection. These offer an opportunity for combining clinical care with public health strategies that may restrict the spread of HIV while providing humane care for large numbers of people with AIDS and support for their families.     

AIDS in the HAART era: New York's heterogeneous geography

During the 1990s, the number of new AIDS cases in New York City, USA, declined precipitously. The declines, beginning before highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was introduced, were geographically heterogeneous across two New York City boroughs analyzed. From 1993 to 1998, zip codes in Lower Manhattan, with large white and affluent populations, had declines as much as 55% more than the rest of Manhattan. Bronx zip codes underwent still lesser declines. Declines also differed within zip codes among subpopulations. White zip code populations tended to have greater declines than Latino populations, which in turn tended to have greater declines than black populations. According to bivariate and stepwise regressions, an array of socioeconomic and community stress variables acted in combination on the decline in New York AIDS. Manhattan's declines in total AIDS incidence were primarily defined by changes in AIDS incidence for whites and for men who have sex with men, racial segregation, and the proportions of households in upper income classes and under rent stress. Bronx declines in total AIDS are principally explained by a broader range of income classes, and social instability as marked by housing overcrowding and cirrhosis and drug mortalities. Whatever the combination of proximate causes for the decline in AIDS incidence in 1990s New York (educational campaigns, HAART, demographic stochasticity), the decline was shaped by the city's socioeconomic structure and political and ecological history. That structure and history generates the geographically defined aggregates of behaviors that promote or impede AIDS decline. Such spatial heterogeneity may provide for HIV refugia, areas where the virus can weather the epidemic's contraction, a troubling possibility with the accelerating microbicidal failures of combination therapies.     

Transforming the meaning of HIV/AIDS in recovery from substance use: a qualitative study of HIV-positive women in New York

Recovery from substance use is a vital concern for many women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This qualitative study explores the meaning of women's HIV infection for their transition from drug use to recovery. Interviews were conducted with 15 female clients of a drug treatment program and AIDS nursing home in New York City. For most participants, HIV did not constitute the main reason for starting their recovery. The dual diagnosis program, however, facilitates an important transformation of the meaning of HIV/AIDS. Previously viewed as just another reason to use drugs, women now increasingly perceive their HIV infection as an incentive to stay clean and sober.