Most New HIV Infections in North Carolina Transmitted from Patients with Previously Diagnosed Infection

The annual number of new HIV infections in the U.S., although decreased, remains high (approximately 42,000 in 2011). Cascade-of-care analyses have shown a substantial proportion of HIV-infected individuals in the country to be out of care. The North Carolina Screening and Tracing of Active Transmission (STAT) program has been identifying people with acute HIV infection since 2002. Now, researchers have performed a secondary analysis of STAT data to classify the HIV and cascade-of-care statuses of all traceable partners — and the most likely transmission sources — for acutely infected persons with diagnosis in North Carolina between 2002 and 2013.

A total of 358 acute HIV infections were identified. Of the 932 partners reported by the case p…