Providing ART to HIV Seropositive Persons Who Use Drugs: Progress in New York City, Prospects for "Ending the Epidemic"

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Don C. Des Jarlais, Mt Sinai Beth Israel; Kamyar Arasteh, Mt Sinai Beth Israel; Courtney McKnight, Mt Sinai Beth Israel; Jonathan Feelemyer, Mt Sinai Beth Israel; Holly Hagan, New York University; Hannah Cooper, Emory University; Aimee N. C. Campbell, Columbia University; Susan Tross, Columbia University; David C. Perlman, Mt Sinai Beth Israel
• Language: English
• Date: 2016-02-01
• Publisher: Springer Verlag (Germany)
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1028-8
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: AIDS and Behavior
• ISSN: 1090-7165
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 353
• End Page: 362
• Grant/Funding Information: This work has been supported through funding grants 5RO1DA003574 and 1R01DA0356707-01 from the National Institutes of Health.
• Keywords: HIV; Antiretroviral therapy; ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY; Persons who inject drugs; SEROPREVALENCE; ADHERENCE; Treatment as prevention; SUBSTANCE-ABUSE; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Non-injection drug users; Science & Technology; Social Sciences; CARE; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; INFECTION; Social Sciences, Biomedical; Biomedical Social Sciences
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

New York City has experienced the largest HIV epidemic among persons who use psychoactive drugs. We examined progress in placing HIV seropositive persons who inject drugs (PWID) and HIV seropositive non-injecting drug users (NIDU) onto antiretroviral treatment (ART) in New York City over the last 15 years. We recruited 3511 PWID and 3543 NIDU from persons voluntarily entering drug detoxification and methadone maintenance treatment programs in New York City from 2001 to 2014. HIV prevalence declined significantly among both PWID and NIDU. The percentage who reported receiving ART increased significantly, from approximately 50 % (2001–2005) to approximately 75 % (2012–2014). There were no racial/ethnic disparities in the percentages of HIV seropositive persons who were on ART. Continued improvement in ART uptake and TasP and maintenance of other prevention and care services should lead to an “End of the AIDS Epidemic” for persons who use heroin and cocaine in New York City.