Expansion of Preexposure Prophylaxis Capacity in Response to an HIV Outbreak Among People Who Inject Drugs-Cabell County, West Virginia, 2019.

From January 1, 2018, through October 9, 2019, 82 HIV diagnoses occurred among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Cabell County, West Virginia. Increasing the use of HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among PWID was one of the goals of a joint federal, state, and local response to this HIV outbreak. Through partnerships with the local health department, a federally qualified health center, and an academic medical system, we integrated PrEP into medication-assisted treatment, syringe services program, and primary health care settings. During the initial PrEP implementation period (April 18-May 17, 2019), 110 health care providers and administrators received PrEP training, the number of clinics offering PrEP increased from 2 to 15, and PrEP referrals were integrated with partner services, outreach, and testing activities. The number of people on PrEP increased from 15 in the 6 months before PrEP expansion to 127 in the 6 months after PrEP implementation. Lessons learned included the importance of implementing PrEP within existing health care services, integrating PrEP with other HIV prevention response activities, adapting training and material to fit the local context, and customizing care to meet the needs of PWID. The delivery of PrEP to PWID is challenging but complements other HIV prevention interventions. The expansion of PrEP in response to this HIV outbreak in Cabell County provides a framework for expanding PrEP in other outbreak and non-outbreak settings.

Response to a Large HIV Outbreak, Cabell County, West Virginia, 2018-2019.

INTRODUCTION: In January 2019, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health detected increased HIV diagnoses among people who inject drugs in Cabell County. Responding to HIV clusters and outbreaks is 1 of the 4 pillars of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative and requires activities from the Diagnose, Treat, and Prevent pillars. This article describes the design and implementation of a comprehensive response, featuring interventions from all pillars. METHODS: This study used West Virginia Bureau for Public Health data to identify HIV diagnoses during January 1, 2018-October 9, 2019 among (1) people who inject drugs linked to Cabell County, (2) their sex or injecting partners, or (3) others with an HIV sequence linked to Cabell County people who inject drugs. Surveillance data, including HIV-1 polymerase sequences, were analyzed to estimate the transmission rate and timing of infections using molecular clock phylogenetic analysis. Federal, state, and local partners designed and implemented a comprehensive response during January 2019-October 2019. RESULTS: Of 82 people identified in the outbreak, most were male (60%), were White (91%), and reported unstable housing (80%). In a large molecular cluster containing 56 of 60 (93%) available sequences, 93% of inferred transmissions occurred after January 1, 2018. HIV testing, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, and syringe services were rapidly expanded, leading to improved linkage to HIV care and viral suppression. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of rapid transmission in this outbreak galvanized robust collaboration among federal, state, and local partners, leading to critical improvements in HIV prevention and care services. HIV outbreak response requires increased coordination and creativity to improve service delivery to people affected by rapid HIV transmission.