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Unmet HIV Service Needs Among Hispanic Men who Have Sex with Men in the United States

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Abstract

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) originally issued in 2010 targets the reduction of HIV-related health disparities. Hispanic men who have sex with men (MSM) have the third highest burden of incident HIV in the US, but there are no estimates of the unmet HIV service needs for Hispanic MSM. We estimate that of approximately 204,800 Hispanic MSM living with HIV, roughly 46,900 were undiagnosed. 157,900 were diagnosed, and of those, 75,700 were not linked to care and 82,200 were linked. Among diagnosed individuals, 48,800 had undetectable viral loads, and 109,100 had detectable viral loads. An estimated 30,000 of diagnosed Hispanic MSM engage in unprotected, serodiscordant risk behaviors. Total cost to meet service needs and achieve NHAS goals is ~$2.511 billion in 2011 US dollars. Transmission rate modeling suggests this investment would avert 3656 new HIV infections at an economically favorable cost of $61,202 per quality-adjusted life year saved.

Resumen

La Estrategia Nacional contra el VIH/SIDA (ENVS) originalmente publicada en 2010 se enfoca en la reducción de disparidades de salud relacionadas al VIH. Los hombres hispanos que tienen relaciones sexuales con hombres (HSH) tienen la tercera incidencia más alta del VIH en los EE.UU. Sin embargo, no existen estimaciones de la falta de los servicios médicos del VIH por los hispanos HSH. Estimamos que de aproximadamente 204,800 hispanos HSH viviendo con el VIH, hay 46,900 sin diagnosticar. 157,900 están diagnosticados, y de este grupo, 75,700 no están vinculados a recibir cuidado médico, y 82,200 están vinculados. De las personas diagnosticadas, 48,800 tenían niveles de virus indetectables, y 109,100 tenían niveles detectables. Aproximadamente 30,000 de los hispanos HSH diagnosticados con el VIH practican sexo sin protección con parejas serodiscordantes. El precio total para cumplir con las necesidades para los servicios del VIH y lograr las metas de la ENVS es $2.511 billones de dólares con el valor del año 2011. Los resultados de las tasas de transmisión modeladas sugieren que esta inversión prevendría 3656 infecciones nuevas del VIH a un costo económicamente favorable de $61,202 dólares del VIH por año de vida ajustado por calidad ahorrado.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Jorge Martin del Campo and Carolina Bonacci for reviewing the translation of the Spanish language abstract. Funding: RAB was supported by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Sommer Scholarship. Funding agencies did not participate in study design or analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MPH Program, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Robert A. Bonacci

  2. Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    David R. Holtgrave

  3. Perelman School of Medicine, Jordan Medical Education Center, University of Pennsylvania, 6th Floor, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Building 421, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-5162, USA

    Robert A. Bonacci

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  1. Robert A. Bonacci
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Correspondence to Robert A. Bonacci.

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Bonacci, R.A., Holtgrave, D.R. Unmet HIV Service Needs Among Hispanic Men who Have Sex with Men in the United States. AIDS Behav 20, 2444–2451 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1304-2

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