Our HIV Epidemiology Program just released their 2016 Arizona HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Annual Report, documenting HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence trends at both the state and county level throughout Arizona. In 2015, there were 17,349 Arizonans living with HIV/AIDS, of which 730 were newly infected. The number of HIV-related deaths has been decreasing from 309 deaths in 2008 to 191 deaths in 2015. The report shows that the most affected populations are males, individuals aged 25-29, and Black non-Hispanic persons. The good news is that
The majority of HIV/AIDS cases reported in Arizona are through passive surveillance. Passive surveillance occurs when health care providers and testing laboratories report notifiable HIV tests/diagnoses to the HIV Epidemiology Program. Active surveillance requires the local health departments to contact health care providers and laboratories requesting information on patients receiving care for HIV. The surveillance data collected is provided to agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local health departments, healthcare providers and community organizations to assist in targeting prevention, care, and other services.
