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WV Health Officials Confirm 1 Death Linked to HIV Cluster
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia health officials say one person has died amid a spate of HIV cases in one county.
Health Department spokeswoman Allison Adler confirmed the person who recently died was associated with an HIV cluster in Cabell County.
The Register-Herald reports it’s unknown what the cause of death was. Charleston Area Medical Center program director Christine Teague says HIV can make people more vulnerable to other illness and drug overdoses have become more common among HIV patients in recent years.
Teague says health workers are trying to do more outreach, but it’s difficult for some at-risk populations to get into clinics.
Health officials are encouraging residents to take precautions, but say the cluster doesn’t pose a large public threat.