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West Virginia Officials: HIV Outbreak Involved 15 Counties
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Health officials in West Virginia say they were able to contain an HIV outbreak in the southern part of the state by quickly identifying infected people and getting them into treatment.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail quotes Dr. Rahul Gupta of the state’s Bureau for Public Health in a Saturday report as saying the outbreak involved people from 15 counties. Gupta said the virus was mostly spread by sexual activity between males.
Gupta said the state stepped up surveillance efforts after observing an HIV outbreak in rural Indiana in 2015.
People with HIV can take medication to slow the progression of the virus in their bodies and reduce the likelihood of spreading the disease.