LEARNING OUTCOME AND OBJECTIVES:  Upon completion of this course, you will have increased your knowledge of HIV/AIDS in order to better care for your patients. Specific learning objectives to address potential knowledge gaps include:

• Discuss the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Florida.
• Outline the etiology and stages of HIV infection.
• Describe modes of transmission for HIV.
• Summarize Florida’s HIV testing-related requirements.

HIV/AIDS INCIDENCE

Approximately 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV. From 2010 to 2017, the annual number of new HIV diagnoses decreased 7%. In 2018, there were 37,968 new HIV infections. Trends varied for different groups of people.

In 2018, 17,032 people in the United States and six dependent areas received a stage 3 (AIDS) diagnosis, and in 2017 there were 16,350 deaths (due to any cause) among adults and adolescents with a diagnosis of HIV (CDC, 2020; HIV.gov, 2020).

HIV/AIDS in Florida

Florida continues to have high numbers of those living with HIV as well as those newly diagnosed with HIV.

• Florida ranks first among the states and the District of Columbia for the number of people living with HIV and third for the highest rates of HIV diagnosis.
• In 2018, Florida identified 4,906 new HIV diagnoses (a 3% increase from 2017), and 1,918 persons received a diagnosis of AIDS.
• This brings the total number of people in Florida living with HIV to 119,661, more than 12% of all the cases in the United States.

Experts report that Florida’s continuing HIV epidemic is fueled by stigma, poverty, immigration issues, and lack of access to care (FL DOH, 2019; Royal, 2019).

BLACK FLORIDIANS

Black people represented the highest proportion of those who received an HIV diagnosis in Florida in 2018. The Florida Department of Health reports:

• Of the 119,661 persons living with HIV in Florida, 54,117 (45%) were Black, and 21,611 of these were Black women.
• Of the 4,906 persons who received an HIV diagnosis, 1,931 (39%) were Black, and 580 were Black women.
• Of the 1,918 persons who received an AIDS diagnosis, 932 (49%) were Black, and 338 of those were Black women.
  (FL DOH, 2019)

OLDER ADULTS

Florida reported that older adults (aged 50+) represented 21% of those persons who received an HIV diagnosis in 2018. Black older adults represented the highest proportion (36%) of these. Older males were more likely to have received an HIV diagnosis (72%) than older females (28%). The majority of older adults who received an HIV diagnosis (42%) were men who have sex with men (FL DOH, 2019).