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Of 65 cases during a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outbreak among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in West Virginia (2019-2021), 61 (94%) had hepatitis C diagnosed a median of 46 months prior to HIV diagnosis. Hepatitis C diagnosis among PWID should trigger improved access to prevention and treatment services., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts of interest. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America 2022.)

During October 2019, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (WVBPH) noted that an increasing number of persons who inject drugs (PWID) in Kanawha County received a diagnosis of HIV. The number of HIV diagnoses among PWID increased from less than five annually during 2016-2018 to 11 during January-October 2019 (Figure). Kanawha County (with an approximate population of 180,000*) has high rates of opioid use disorder and overdose deaths, which have been increasing since 2016, † and the county is located near Cabell County, which experienced an HIV outbreak among PWID during 2018-2019 (1,2). In response to the increase in HIV diagnoses among PWID in 2019, WVBPH released a Health Advisory § ; and WVBPH and Kanawha-Charleston Health Department (KCHD) convened an HIV task force, conducted care coordination meetings, received CDC remote assistance to support response activities, and expanded HIV testing and outreach., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

In 2019, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (WV BPH), Cabell-Huntington Health Department (CHHD), and CDC collaborated to respond to an HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs (PWID). CDC, WV BPH, and CHHD formed a cross-agency communications team to establish situational awareness, identify knowledge gaps, and establish key audiences for messages, including the general population, PWID, and clinical and social service providers. The team disseminated up-to-date information about the outbreak, and prioritized messages addressing stigma related to drug use, syringe services programs, and HIV. Messages were continually updated to address the evolving situation and to resonate with local values. Messages were disseminated via advertisements, local news media, and directly to PWID, people experiencing homelessness, and providers. The response supplemented CHHD's assets, including strong relationships and community knowledge, with staff capacity and expertise from state and federal agencies. This collaborative approach is a useful model to address communication needs., (© 2021. This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Background: Persons who inject drugs (PWID) have frequent healthcare encounters related to their injection drug use (IDU) but are often not tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We sought to quantify missed opportunities for HIV testing during an HIV outbreak among PWID., Methods: PWID with HIV diagnosed in 5 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky counties during January 2017-September 2018 who had ≥1 encounter 12 months prior to HIV diagnosis in 1 of 2 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area healthcare systems were included in the analysis. HIV testing and encounter data were abstracted from electronic health records. A missed opportunity for HIV testing was defined as an encounter for an IDU-related condition where an HIV test was not performed and had not been performed in the prior 12 months., Results: Among 109 PWID with HIV diagnosed who had ≥1 healthcare encounter, 75 (68.8%) had ≥1 IDU-related encounters in the 12 months before HIV diagnosis. These 75 PWID had 169 IDU-related encounters of which 86 (50.9%) were missed opportunities for HIV testing and occurred among 46 (42.2%) PWID. Most IDU-related encounters occurred in the emergency department (118/169; 69.8%). Using multivariable generalized estimating equations, HIV testing was more likely in inpatient compared with emergency department encounters (adjusted relative risk [RR], 2.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.70-4.33) and at the healthcare system receiving funding for emergency department HIV testing (adjusted RR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.10-2.82)., Conclusions: PWID have frequent IDU-related encounters in emergency departments. Enhanced HIV screening of PWID in these settings can facilitate earlier diagnosis and improve outbreak response., (Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2020.)

In 2015, a large human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outbreak occurred among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in Indiana. During 2016-2019, additional outbreaks among PWID occurred across the United States. Based on information disseminated by responding health departments and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) involvement, we offer perspectives about characteristics of and public health responses to 6 such outbreaks. Across outbreaks, injection of opioids (including fentanyl) or methamphetamine predominated; many PWID concurrently used opioids and methamphetamine or cocaine. Commonalities included homelessness or unstable housing, previous incarceration, and hepatitis C virus exposure. All outbreaks occurred in metropolitan areas, including some with substantial harm reduction and medical programs targeted to PWID. Health departments experienced challenges locating case patients and contacts, linking and retaining persons in care, building support to strengthen harm-reduction programs, and leveraging resources. Expanding the concept of vulnerability to HIV outbreaks and other lessons learned can be considered for preventing, detecting, and responding to future outbreaks among PWID., (Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2020.)