How do the new recommendations fit in with other CDC initiatives?
A. The Recommendations for Partner Services Programs for HIV Infection, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydial Infection advance a number of CDC initiatives, some of which are HIV or STD specific, while others transcend the artificial boundary between HIV and other STDs. With respect to HIV initiatives, the new recommendations will further CDC’s efforts, as part of the Advancing HIV Prevention (AHP) initiative, to reduce barriers to early diagnosis of HIV infection and increase access to quality medical care, treatment, and prevention services for those living with HIV. Like CDC’s 2006 Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings, which they both complement and amplify, the new partner services recommendations will increase the number of infections detected and decrease the time between infection and diagnosis. An estimated one quarter of infected individuals are unaware of their infection, and these individuals are believed to
