HIV

In Dec 2017, an estimated 36.7 million people are living with HIV worldwide. Global efforts have resulted in 19.5 million people worldwide receiving lifesaving antiretroviral treatment as of September 30, 2017. Since the peak of the epidemic in 2005, annual AIDS-related deaths have declined by 48%. People living with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative sexual partners. Alike, if a woman living with HIV can take HIV medicine as prescribed throughout pregnancy, labor and delivery and if HIV medicine is given to her baby for 4-6 weeks after delivery, the risk of transmission from pregnancy, labor and delivery can be reduced to 1% or less. HIV infection diagnosis is to be confirmed in order to rule out false positive. While, CDC recommends that individuals between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care and those with risk factors get tested more frequently; a general rule for those with risk factors is to get tested