Reduced Odds of Mpox-Associated Hospitalization Among Persons Who Received JYNNEOS Vaccine - California, May 2022-May 2023.

The effectiveness of 1 dose of JYNNEOS vaccine (modified vaccinia Ankara vaccine, Bavarian Nordic) against hospitalization for mpox (caused by Monkeypox virus), has been demonstrated; however, the impact of 2 doses on hospitalization risk, especially among persons infected with HIV, who are at higher risk for severe disease, is an important factor in evaluating vaccine effectiveness against mpox disease severity and Monkeypox virus infection. Surveillance data collected by the California Department of Public Health were used to evaluate whether receipt of 2 doses of JYNNEOS vaccine reduced the odds of hospitalization among persons with mpox. The odds of hospitalization among persons with mpox who had received 1 or 2 JYNNEOS doses were 0.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Collaborative, Pharmacy-Based Hepatitis C and HIV Screening Program.

Introduction: Pharmacy-based HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening services developed in conjunction with state and local health departments can improve public health through increased access to testing and a linkage-to-care strategy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing HIV and HCV screening in community pharmacies.

Methods: This prospective, multicenter implementation project was conducted from July 2015 through August 2018.

HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Persons with Monkeypox - Eight U.S. Jurisdictions, May 17-July 22, 2022.

High prevalences of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been reported in the current global monkeypox outbreak, which has affected primarily gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) (1-5). In previous monkeypox outbreaks in Nigeria, concurrent HIV infection was associated with poor monkeypox clinical outcomes (6,7). Monkeypox, HIV, and STI surveillance data from eight U.

Evaluation of the Abbott ARCHITECT HIV Ag/Ab combo assay for determining recent HIV-1 infection.

Background: Given the challenges and costs associated with implementing HIV-1 incidence assay testing, there is great interest in evaluating the use of commercial HIV diagnostic tests for determining recent HIV infection. A diagnostic test with the capability of providing reliable data for the determination of recent HIV infection without substantial modifications to the test protocol would have a significant impact on HIV surveillance. The Abbott ARCHITECT HIV Ag/Ab Combo Assay is an antigen/antibody immunoassay, which meets the criteria as the first screening test in the recommended HIV laboratory diagnostic algorithm for the United States.

The CDC HIV Outbreak Coordination Unit: Developing a Standardized, Collaborative Approach to HIV Outbreak Assessment and Response.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state, territorial, and local health departments have expanded efforts to detect and respond to HIV clusters and outbreaks in the United States. In July 2017, CDC created the HIV Outbreak Coordination Unit (OCU) to ensure consistent and collaborative assessment of requests from health departments for consultation or support on possible HIV clusters and outbreaks of elevated concern. The HIV OCU is a multidisciplinary, cross-organization functional unit within CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.

Benchmarks for HIV Testing: What Is Needed to Achieve Universal Testing Coverage at U.S. Ambulatory Healthcare Facilities.

Background: Black and Hispanic men have the highest rates of HIV diagnoses. To decrease the number of U.S.

Trends in Indicators of Injection Drug Use, Indian Health Service, 2010-2014 : A Study of Health Care Encounter Data.

Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV transmission in the United States may increase as a result of increasing rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) and associated injection drug use (IDU). Epidemiologic trends among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons are not well known.

Methods: We analyzed 2010-2014 Indian Health Service data on health care encounters to assess regional and temporal trends in IDU indicators among adults aged ≥18 years.

Using an Established Outbreak Response Plan and Molecular Epidemiology Methods in an HIV Transmission Cluster Investigation, Tennessee, January-June 2017.

Introduction: In April 2017, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) was notified of an increase in the number of persons newly diagnosed with HIV in eastern Tennessee in the same month. Two were identified as persons with a history of injection drug use (IDU) and named each other as syringe-sharing partners, prompting an investigation into a possible HIV cluster among persons with a history of IDU.

Materials And Methods: TDH and public health staff members in eastern Tennessee collaborated to implement procedures outlined in TDH's HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) Outbreak Response Plan, including conducting enhanced interviewing and using a preestablished database for data collection and management.

Phylodynamic Analysis Complements Partner Services by Identifying Acute and Unreported HIV Transmission.

Tailoring public health responses to growing HIV transmission clusters depends on accurately mapping the risk network through which it spreads and identifying acute infections that represent the leading edge of cluster growth. HIV transmission links, especially those involving persons with acute HIV infection (AHI), can be difficult to uncover, or confirm during partner services investigations. We integrated molecular, epidemiologic, serologic and behavioral data to infer and evaluate transmission linkages between participants of a prospective study of AHI conducted in North Carolina, New York City and San Francisco from 2011-2013.

Opioid Use Fueling HIV Transmission in an Urban Setting: An Outbreak of HIV Infection Among People Who Inject Drugs-Massachusetts, 2015-2018.

To describe and control an outbreak of HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID). The investigation included people diagnosed with HIV infection during 2015 to 2018 linked to 2 cities in northeastern Massachusetts epidemiologically or through molecular analysis. Field activities included qualitative interviews regarding service availability and HIV risk behaviors.

Changes in Reported Injection Behaviors Following the Public Health Response to an HIV Outbreak Among People Who Inject Drugs: Indiana, 2016.

A syringe services program (SSP) was established following the Indiana HIV outbreak among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in Scott County. Among Indiana-based PWID, we examined injection behaviors associated with HIV status, SSP use after its establishment, and changes in injection behaviors after the outbreak response. During 2016, we interviewed 200 PWID and assessed injection behaviors before the response by HIV status.

Evaluation of a Rapid Syphilis Test in an Emergency Department Setting in Detroit, Michigan.

Background: Syphilis transmission can be prevented by prompt diagnosis and treatment of primary and secondary infection. We evaluated the performance of a point-of-care rapid syphilis treponemal (RST) test in an emergency department (ED) setting.

Methods: Between June 2015 and April 2016, men aged 18 to 34 years seeking services in a Detroit ED, and with no history of syphilis, were screened for syphilis with the RST test, rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test, and Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TP-PA).

A Multiplex HIV Incidence Assay for Inferring Recent HIV-1 Transmission and Time of Infection.

Background: Laboratory assays for determining recent HIV-1 infection are an important public health tool for aiding in the estimation of HIV incidence. Some incidence assay analytes are remarkably predictive of time since seroconversion and may be useful for additional applications, such as predicting recent transmission events during HIV outbreaks and informing prevention strategies.

Methods: Plasma samples (n = 154) from a recent HIV-1 outbreak in a rural community in Indiana were tested with the customized HIV-1 Multiplex assay, based on the Bio-Rad Bio-Plex platform, which measures antibody response to HIV envelope antigens, gp120, gp160, and gp41.

Performance evaluation of the Bio-Rad Geenius HIV 1/2 supplemental assay.

Background: In the US, the HIV diagnostic algorithm for laboratory settings recommends the use of an HIV-1/HIV-2 differentiation supplemental assay after an initial reactive antigen/antibody (Ag/Ab) assay result. Since the discontinuation of the Multispot HIV-1/HIV-2 Rapid Test (MS), the Geenius HIV-1/2 Supplemental assay (Geenius) is the only FDA-approved supplemental differentiation test.

Objective: We compared the performance of Geenius to MS and Western Blot (WB).

A Strategy for PrEP Clinicians to Manage Ambiguous HIV Test Results During Follow-up Visits.

Prompt determination of HIV infection status is critical during follow-up visits for patients taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication. Those who are uninfected can then continue safely taking PrEP, and those few who have acquired HIV infection can initiate an effective treatment regimen. However, a few recent cases have been reported of ambiguous HIV test results using common testing algorithms in PrEP patients.

A large HCV transmission network enabled a fast-growing HIV outbreak in rural Indiana, 2015.

Background: A high prevalence (92.3%) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection among HIV patients identified during a large HIV outbreak associated with injection of oxymorphone in Indiana prompted genetic analysis of HCV strains.

Methods: Molecular epidemiological analysis of HCV-positive samples included genotyping, sampling intra-host HVR1 variants by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and constructing transmission networks using Global Hepatitis Outbreak and Surveillance Technology (GHOST).

Antiretroviral treatment among commercially insured persons living with HIV in an era of universal treatment in the United States - 2012-2014.

In 2012, antiretroviral (ARV) treatment guidelines expanded indications and recommended antiretroviral treatment for all HIV-infected persons in the United States, regardless of CD4 cell count. This analysis describes ARV prescriptions among commercially insured HIV-infected adults from 2012 to 2014. We analyzed persons aged 18-64 years from 2012 to 2014 Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters® database.

How well are U.S. primary care providers assessing whether their male patients have male sex partners?

Identifying patients at-risk for HIV infection, such as men who have sex with men (MSM), is an important step in providing HIV testing and prevention interventions. It is unknown how primary care providers (PCPs) assess MSM status and related HIV-risk factors. We analyzed data from a panel-derived web-based survey for healthcare providers conducted in 2014 to describe how PCPs in the U.

HIV Testing at Visits to Physicians' Offices in the U.S., 2009-2012.

Introduction: HIV testing serves as an entry point for HIV care services for those who test HIV positive, and prevention services for those who test HIV negative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine testing of adults and adolescents in healthcare settings. To identify missed opportunities for HIV testing at U.