HIV Treatment and Care
Routine care and treatment are the best way to keep people with HIV healthy. People with HIV who take medication as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load (or stay virally suppressed) can stay healthy and won’t transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been monitoring an increase in extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Shigella infections (shigellosis), especially among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM); People experiencing homelessness; International travelers; and People living with HIV. Learn more.
During 2019, 66% of people with HIV received some HIV care, 50% were retained in care, and 57% were virally suppressed or undetectable.5
During 2020, 74%of people with HIV received some HIV care, 51% were retained in care, and 65% were virally suppressed or undetectable.6
Current treatment guidelines recommend antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all people with HIV, regardless of CD4 cell count. ART should be started as soon as possible after diagnosis and should be accompanied by patient education regarding the benefits and risks of ART and the importance of adhering to ART. Read more about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) HIV Treatment, Care, and Viral Suppression Guidelines.
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monitoring selected national HIV prevention and care objectives by using HIV surveillance data: United States and 6 dependent areas, 2019. HIV Surveillance Report: Supplemental Report. 2021;26(2). https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/library/reports/surveillance/cdc-hiv-surveillance-report-vol-26-no-2.pdf
