Diagnoses of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection Among Foreign-Born Persons Living in the District of Columbia

Abstract

This study characterizes available surveillance data for HIV infected foreign-born residents in the District of Columbia (DC) to inform local HIV prevention and care efforts. HIV surveillance data were reviewed for adults and adolescents (ages ≥13 years) living with HIV in 2008. Variables analyzed included demographics, region of origin (for persons born outside of the U.S.), insurance coverage, linkage to and continuous HIV care. Of the 16,513 DC residents living with HIV diagnoses, 1,391 (8.4 %) were foreign-born. Of foreign-born infected, 71.9 % were male; 33.3 % were from Africa and 20.8 % from Central America; 80.6 % were exposed through sex; 36.3 % had health coverage at diagnosis. While 100 % of foreign-born persons had documented linkage to HIV care, only 18.0 % had documentation of continued HIV care. These data suggest that strengthening continuous HIV care support after successful care linkage is warranted for foreign-born persons living with HIV in DC.