Lab Collaborations
In addition to the HIV test offered as part of NHBS, project areas may conduct other tests with local funds if local regulations permit anonymous testing. Further, CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention (DHP) collaborates with other agencies and CDC divisions to fund additional biological testing as part of NHBS.
In 2018External, DHP partnered with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH) to provide hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing to persons who inject drugs (PWID) in 10 NHBS project areas (Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; San Juan, PR; and Washington DC). Blood-based rapid HCV testing in the field and laboratory HCV RNA testing was offered to all PWID participants in the 10 project areas. This collaboration provided an additional public health service to NHBS participants through testing and referral to care for HCV. Data gathered during these activities address gaps in information about the prevalence of acute and chronic hepatitis C infection among PWID in the United States.