HIV Care Outcomes in Relation to Racial Redlining and Structural Factors Affecting Medical Care Access Among Black and White Persons with Diagnosed HIV-United States, 2017.

Black/African American (Black) versus White persons are unequally burdened by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States. Structural factors can influence social determinants of health, key components in reducing HIV-related health inequality by race. This analysis examined HIV care outcomes among Black and White persons with diagnosed HIV (PWDH) in relation to three structural factors: racial redlining, Medicaid expansion, and Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) use. Using National HIV Surveillance System, U.S. Census, and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, we examined linkage to HIV care and viral suppression (i.e., viral load < 200 copies/mL) in relation to the structural factors among 12,996 Black and White PWDH with HIV diagnosed in 2017/alive at year-end 2018, aged ≥ 18 years, and residing in 38 U.S. jurisdictions with complete laboratory data, geocoding, and census tract-level redlining indexes. Compared to White PWDH, a lower proportion of Black PWDH were linked to HIV care within 1 month after diagnosis and were virally suppressed in 2018. Redlining was not associated with the HIV care outcomes. A higher prevalence of PWDH residing (v. not residing) in states with Medicaid expansion were linked to HIV care ≤ 1 month after diagnosis. A higher prevalence of those residing (v. not residing) in states with > 50% of PWDH in RWHAP had viral suppression. Direct exposure to redlining was not associated with poor HIV care outcomes. Structural factors that reduce the financial burden of HIV care and improve care access like Medicaid expansion and RWHAP might improve HIV care outcomes of PWDH.

Addressing Ethical Challenges in US-Based HIV Phylogenetic Research.

In recent years, phylogenetic analysis of HIV sequence data has been used in research studies to investigate transmission patterns between individuals and groups, including analysis of data from HIV prevention clinical trials, in molecular epidemiology, and in public health surveillance programs. Phylogenetic analysis can provide valuable information to inform HIV prevention efforts, but it also has risks, including stigma and marginalization of groups, or potential identification of HIV transmission between individuals. In response to these concerns, an interdisciplinary working group was assembled to address ethical challenges in US-based HIV phylogenetic research. The working group developed recommendations regarding (1) study design; (2) data security, access, and sharing; (3) legal issues; (4) community engagement; and (5) communication and dissemination. The working group also identified areas for future research and scholarship to promote ethical conduct of HIV phylogenetic research.

Association of State Laws and Healthcare Workers' Influenza Vaccination Rates.

State laws are being used to increase healthcare worker (HCW) influenza vaccine uptake. Approximately 40% of states have enacted such laws but their effectiveness has been infrequently studied. Data sources for this study were the 2000-2011 U.S. National Health Interview Survey Adult Sample File and a summary of U.S. state HCW influenza vaccination laws. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for two time periods: 1) 2000-2005 (before enactment of many state laws) and 2) 2006-2011 (a time of increased enactment of state HCW influenza vaccination legislation). During 2000-2005, two states had HCW influenza vaccination laws and HCW influenza vaccination rates averaged 22.5%. In 2006-2011, 19 states had such laws and vaccination rates averaged 50.9% (p < 0.001). The likelihood of HCW vaccination increased with the scope and breadth, measured by a law score. Although laws varied widely in scope and applicability, states with HCW influenza vaccination laws reported higher HCW vaccination rates.

Enhancements to the National HIV Surveillance System, United States, 2013-2023.

HIV infection is monitored through the National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS) to help improve the health of people with HIV and reduce transmission. NHSS data are routinely used at federal, state, and local levels to monitor the distribution and transmission of HIV, plan and evaluate prevention and care programs, allocate resources, inform policy development, and identify and respond to rapid transmission in the United States. We describe the expanded use of HIV surveillance data since the 2013 NHSS status update, during which time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinated to revise the HIV surveillance case definition to support the detection of early infection and reporting of laboratory data, expanded data collection to include information on sexual orientation and gender identity, enhanced data deduplication processes to improve quality, and expanded reporting to include social determinants of health and health equity measures. CDC maximized the effects of federal funding by integrating funding for HIV prevention and surveillance into a single program; the integration of program funding has expanded the use of HIV surveillance data and strengthened surveillance, resulting in enhanced cluster response capacity and intensified data-to-care activities to ensure sustained viral suppression. NHSS data serve as the primary source for monitoring HIV trends and progress toward achieving national initiatives, including the US Department of Health and Human Services' Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative, the White House's National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022-2025), and Healthy People 2030. The NHSS will continue to modernize, adapt, and broaden its scope as the need for high-quality HIV surveillance data remains.

Shifting the paradigm: using HIV surveillance data as a foundation for improving HIV care and preventing HIV infection.

CONTEXT: Reducing HIV incidence in the United States and improving health outcomes for people living with HIV hinge on improving access to highly effective treatment and overcoming barriers to continuous treatment. Using laboratory tests routinely reported for HIV surveillance to monitor individuals' receipt of HIV care and contacting them to facilitate optimal care could help achieve these objectives. Historically, surveillance-based public health intervention with individuals for HIV control has been controversial because of concerns that risks to privacy and autonomy could outweigh benefits. But with the availability of lifesaving, transmission-interrupting treatment for HIV infection, some health departments have begun surveillance-based outreach to facilitate HIV medical care. METHODS: Guided by ethics frameworks, we explored the ethical arguments for changing the uses of HIV surveillance data. To identify ethical, procedural, and strategic considerations, we reviewed the activities of health departments that are using HIV surveillance data to contact persons identified as needing assistance with initiating or returning to care. FINDINGS: Although privacy concerns surrounding the uses of HIV surveillance data still exist, there are ethical concerns associated with not using HIV surveillance to maximize the benefits from HIV medical care and treatment. Early efforts to use surveillance data to facilitate optimal HIV medical care illustrate how the ethical burdens may vary depending on the local context and the specifics of implementation. Health departments laid the foundation for these activities by engaging stakeholders to gain their trust in sharing sensitive information; establishing or strengthening legal, policy and governance infrastructure; and developing communication and follow-up protocols that protect privacy. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a shift toward using HIV surveillance to facilitate optimal HIV care. Health departments should review the considerations outlined before implementing new uses of HIV surveillance data, and they should commit to an ongoing review of activities with the objective of balancing beneficence, respect for persons, and justice.

School closure as an influenza mitigation strategy: how variations in legal authority and plan criteria can alter the impact.

BACKGROUND: States' pandemic influenza plans and school closure statutes are intended to guide state and local officials, but most faced a great deal of uncertainty during the 2009 influenza H1N1 epidemic. Questions remained about whether, when, and for how long to close schools and about which agencies and officials had legal authority over school closures. METHODS: This study began with analysis of states' school-closure statutes and pandemic influenza plans to identify the variations among them. An agent-based model of one state was used to represent as constants a population's demographics, commuting patterns, work and school attendance, and community mixing patterns while repeated simulations explored the effects of variations in school closure authority, duration, closure thresholds, and reopening criteria. RESULTS: The results show no basis on which to justify statewide rather than school-specific or community-specific authority for school closures. Nor do these simulations offer evidence to require school closures promptly at the earliest stage of an epidemic. More important are criteria based on monitoring of local case incidence and on authority to sustain closure periods sufficiently to achieve epidemic mitigation. CONCLUSIONS: This agent-based simulation suggests several ways to improve statutes and influenza plans. First, school closure should remain available to state and local authorities as an influenza mitigation strategy. Second, influenza plans need not necessarily specify the threshold for school closures but should clearly define provisions for early and ongoing local monitoring. Finally, school closure authority may be exercised at the statewide or local level, so long as decisions are informed by monitoring incidence in local communities and schools.

Preparedness for pandemics: does variation among states affect the nation as a whole?

OBJECTIVE: Since states' public health systems differ as to pandemic preparedness, this study explored whether such heterogeneity among states could affect the nation's overall influenza rate. DESIGN: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced a uniform set of scores on a 100-point scale from its 2008 national evaluation of state preparedness to distribute materiel from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). This study used these SNS scores to represent each state's relative preparedness to distribute influenza vaccine in a timely manner and assumed that "optimal" vaccine distribution would reach at least 35% of the state's population within 4 weeks. The scores were used to determine the timing of vaccine distribution for each state: each 10-point decrement of score below 90 added an additional delay increment to the distribution time. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A large-scale agent-based computational model simulated an influenza pandemic in the US population. In this synthetic population each individual or agent had an assigned household, age, workplace or school destination, daily commute, and domestic intercity air travel patterns. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Simulations compared influenza case rates both nationally and at the state level under 3 scenarios: no vaccine distribution (baseline), optimal vaccine distribution in all states, and vaccine distribution time modified according to state-specific SNS score. RESULTS: Between optimal and SNS-modified scenarios, attack rates rose not only in low-scoring states but also in high-scoring states, demonstrating an interstate spread of infections. Influenza rates were sensitive to variation of the SNS-modified scenario (delay increments of 1 day versus 5 days), but the interstate effect remained. CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of a response activity such as vaccine distribution could benefit from national standards and preparedness funding allocated in part to minimize interstate disparities.

Protecting Privacy and Transforming COVID-19 Case Surveillance Datasets for Public Use.

OBJECTIVES: Federal open-data initiatives that promote increased sharing of federally collected data are important for transparency, data quality, trust, and relationships with the public and state, tribal, local, and territorial partners. These initiatives advance understanding of health conditions and diseases by providing data to researchers, scientists, and policymakers for analysis, collaboration, and use outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), particularly for emerging conditions such as COVID-19, for which data needs are constantly evolving. Since the beginning of the pandemic, CDC has collected person-level, de-identified data from jurisdictions and currently has more than 8 million records. We describe how CDC designed and produces 2 de-identified public datasets from these collected data. METHODS: We included data elements based on usefulness, public request, and privacy implications; we suppressed some field values to reduce the risk of re-identification and exposure of confidential information. We created datasets and verified them for privacy and confidentiality by using data management platform analytic tools and R scripts. RESULTS: Unrestricted data are available to the public through Data.CDC.gov, and restricted data, with additional fields, are available with a data-use agreement through a private repository on GitHub.com. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Enriched understanding of the available public data, the methods used to create these data, and the algorithms used to protect the privacy of de-identified people allow for improved data use. Automating data-generation procedures improves the volume and timeliness of sharing data.

State courts and public health: building partnerships to enhance preparedness.

Laws and regulations can facilitate or impede emergency preparedness and response activities. State legislators, judges, and lawyers play critically important roles in creating and interpreting laws that affect the ability of public health practitioners and their partners to effectively respond to emergencies. In an age when political unrest, global travel, and emerging biological threats can combine to create social and economic havoc worldwide, it is critical that those responsible for upholding the rule of law during emergencies understand the law and its implications. In 2003, the University of Pittsburgh Center for Public Health Preparedness (UP-CPHP) created a Preparedness Law and Policy Program to advance legal preparedness for public health emergencies across Pennsylvania and the nation. To achieve this goal, UP-CPHP has partnered with local, state, and national organizations. In the course of these activities, Pennsylvania judges, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, UP-CPHP, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Law Program have developed a strong and enduring collaborative relationship that has put the Pennsylvania judiciary in a better position today to plan for and respond to a public health crisis than it has been at any other point in its history. The tools and resources developed through this collaboration can readily be adapted to assist other jurisdictions nationwide in their efforts to ensure that their judicial systems are similarly prepared.

Effects of In-Person Navigation to Address Family Social Needs on Child Health Care Utilization: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: While many organizations endorse screening for social risk factors in clinical settings, few studies have examined the health and utilization effects of interventions to address social needs. Objective: To compare the acute care utilization effects of a written resources handout vs an in-person navigation service intervention to address social needs. Design, Settings, and Participants: In this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial, 1809 adult caregivers of pediatric patients seen in primary and urgent care clinics of 2 safety-net hospitals in northern California were recruited between October 13, 2013, and August 27, 2015. Each participating family was randomly assigned to an in-person navigator intervention vs active control to address the family's social needs. Analyses were conducted between February 28, 2018, and September 25, 2019. Interventions: Caregivers either received written information about relevant local resources related to social needs (active control) or met with a patient navigator focused on helping them resolve social needs (navigator intervention). After an initial in-person visit, navigation services included telephone, email, and/or in-person follow-up for up to 3 months. Main Outcome and Measures: Child emergency department visit or hospitalization within 12 months of study enrollment. Results: Among the 1300 caregivers enrolled in the study without missing follow-up data, most spoke English (878 [67.5%]) and were women (1127 [86.7%]), with a mean (SD) age of 33.0 (9.33) years. Most children were aged 0 to 5 years (779 of 1300 [59.9%]), 723 children (55.6%) had Hispanic ethnicity, and 462 children (35.5%) were in excellent health; 840 families (64.6%) were recruited from urgent care. In total, 637 families (49.0%) were randomized to the in-person navigator group and 663 (51.0%) to the active control group. There was no difference in risk of an emergency department visit between the 2 groups. Children enrolled in the in-person navigator group had a decreased risk of hospitalization within 12 months (hazard ratio, 0.59; 05% CI, 0.38-0.94; P = .03), making them 69% less likely to be hospitalized. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial evaluating heath care utilization effects of programs designed to address social needs among families, children enrolled in the navigation group were significantly less likely to be hospitalized after the intervention but equally likely to have an emergency department visit. These findings strengthen our understanding of the effects of addressing social needs in clinical settings as part of a comprehensive strategy to improve health and reduce health care utilization. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01939704.

When divergent life histories hybridize: insights into adaptive life-history traits in an annual weed.

*Colonizing weed populations face novel selective environments, which may drive rapid shifts in life history. These shifts may be amplified when colonists are hybrids of species with divergent life histories. Selection on such phenotypically diverse hybrids may create highly fecund weeds. We measured the phenotypic variation, strength of natural selection and evolutionary response of hybrid and nonhybrid weeds. *We created F(1) hybrids of wild radish, an early flowering, small-stemmed weed, and its late-flowering, large-stemmed, crop relative (Raphanus spp.). Replicate wild and hybrid populations were established in an agricultural landscape in Michigan, USA. The consequences of three generations of natural selection were measured in a common garden experiment. *Hybrid populations experienced strong selection for larger, earlier flowering plants whereas selection was relatively weak on wild populations. Large plant size evolved two to three times faster in the hybrid populations than in wild populations, yet hybrid populations did not evolve earlier flowering. Strong selection on size and phenotypic correlations between age at reproduction and size may have limited the response of flowering phenology. *Our findings demonstrate hybridization between species with divergent life histories may catalyse the rapid evolution of certain adaptive, weedy traits while tradeoffs limit the evolution of others.

HIV Data to Care-Using Public Health Data to Improve HIV Care and Prevention.

BACKGROUND: "Data to Care" (D2C) is a public health strategy that uses surveillance and other data to improve continuity of HIV care for persons with HIV (PWH) by identifying those who are in need of medical care or other services and facilitating linkage to these services. The primary goal of D2C is to increase the number of PWH who are engaged in care and virally suppressed. METHODS: Data to Care can be implemented using several approaches. Surveillance-based D2C is usually initiated by health departments, using HIV surveillance and other data to identify those not in care. Health care providers may also initiate D2C by identifying patients who may have fallen out of care and working collaboratively with health departments to investigate, locate, and relink the patients to medical care or other needed services. RESULTS: Although D2C is a relatively new strategy, health department D2C programs have reported both promising results (eg, improved surveillance data quality and successful linkage to or re-engagement in care for PWH) and challenges (eg, incomplete or inaccurate data in surveillance systems, barriers to data sharing, and limitations of existing data systems). CONCLUSIONS: Data to Care is expected to enable health departments to move closer toward achieving national HIV prevention goals. However, additional information on appropriate implementation practices at each step of the D2C process is needed. This JAIDS Special Supplement explores how CDC funding to state health departments (eg, technical assistance and demonstration projects), and partnerships across federal agencies, are advancing our knowledge of D2C.

Data to Care: Lessons Learned From Delivering Technical Assistance to 20 Health Departments.

BACKGROUND: Data to Care (D2C) is a public health strategy that uses HIV surveillance and other data to identify persons living with HIV who are "not in care" to link them to medical care or other services. To support health department implementation of D2C, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supported direct technical assistance (TA) to build health department D2C capacity. METHODS: Between 2013 and 2017, 2 contracting organizations worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide intensive D2C TA to 20 US health departments. A requirement for applying for TA was the mandatory reporting of all CD4 T-lymphocyte and HIV viral load test results by laboratories to the health department's HIV surveillance system. Health department selection criteria included organizational factors; jurisdiction laws/policies about data confidentiality and sharing; and HIV morbidity level. RESULTS: Peer-to-peer consultation, technical consultation, training, information transfer, materials development, materials distribution, and technology transfer were methods used for delivering TA based on the health department's needs and preferences. TA supported health department progress in areas such as confidentiality and data security, stakeholder engagement, quality of HIV surveillance data, data sharing, staffing resources, creating "not-in-care" lists, and program evaluation. CONCLUSION: Developing D2C programs is not a linear process, and there is no one standardized approach. Health departments made the most rapid progress when TA included peer-to-peer support among health departments. Participation in this project facilitated, in some cases for the first time, collaboration between staff across HIV surveillance, prevention, and care programs.

Implementing a Data to Care Strategy to Improve Health Outcomes for People With HIV: A Report From the Care and Prevention in the United States Demonstration Project.

OBJECTIVES: The Care and Prevention in the United States Demonstration Project included implementation of a Data to Care strategy using surveillance and other data to (1) identify people with HIV infection in need of HIV medical care or other services and (2) facilitate linkages to those services to improve health outcomes. We present the experiences of 4 state health departments: Illinois, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia. METHODS: The 4 state health departments used multiple databases to generate listings of people with diagnosed HIV infection (PWH) who were presumed not to be in HIV medical care or who had difficulty maintaining viral suppression from October 1, 2013, through September 29, 2016. Each health department prioritized the listings (eg, by length of time not in care, by viral load), reviewed them for accuracy, and then disseminated the listings to staff members to link PWH to HIV care and services. RESULTS: Of 16 391 PWH presumed not to be in HIV medical care, 9852 (60.1%) were selected for follow-up; of those, 4164 (42.3%) were contacted, and of those, 1479 (35.5%) were confirmed to be not in care. Of 794 (53.7%) PWH who accepted services, 694 (87.4%) were linked to HIV medical care. The Louisiana Department of Health also identified 1559 PWH as not virally suppressed, 764 (49.0%) of whom were eligible for follow-up. Of the 764 PWH who were eligible for follow-up, 434 (56.8%) were contacted, of whom 269 (62.0%) had treatment adherence issues. Of 153 PWH who received treatment adherence services, 104 (68.0%) showed substantial improvement in viral suppression. CONCLUSIONS: The 4 health departments established procedures for using surveillance and other data to improve linkage to HIV medical care and health outcomes for PWH. To be effective, health departments had to enhance coordination among surveillance, care programs, and providers; develop mechanisms to share data; and address limitations in data systems and data quality.

Association of HIV diagnosis rates and laws criminalizing HIV exposure in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether state criminal exposure laws are associated with HIV and stage 3 (AIDS) diagnosis rates in the United States. DESIGN: We assessed the relationship between HIV and stage 3 (AIDS) diagnosis data from the National HIV Surveillance System and the presence of a state criminal exposure law as identified through WestlawNext by using generalized estimating equations. METHODS: We limited analysis to persons aged at least 13 years with diagnosed HIV infection or AIDS reported to the National HIV Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The primary outcome measures were rates of diagnosis of HIV (2001-2010 in 33 states) and AIDS (1994-2010 in 50 states) per 100 000 individuals per year. In addition to criminal exposure laws, state-level factors evaluated for inclusion in models included income, unemployment, poverty, education, urbanicity, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: At the end of the study period, 30 states had laws criminalizing HIV exposure. In bivariate models (P < 0.05), unemployment, poverty, education, urbanicity, and race/ethnicity were associated with HIV and AIDS diagnoses. In final models, proportion of adults with less than a high school education and percentage of the population living in urban areas were significantly associated with HIV and AIDS diagnoses over time; criminal exposure laws were not associated with diagnosis rates. CONCLUSION: We found no association between HIV or AIDS diagnosis rates and criminal exposure laws across states over time, suggesting that these laws have had no detectable HIV prevention effect.

Estimated Perinatal HIV Infection Among Infants Born in the United States, 2002-2013.

Importance: Perinatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be reduced through services including antiretroviral treatment and prophylaxis. Data on the national incidence of perinatal HIV transmission and missed prevention opportunities are needed to monitor progress toward elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission. Objective: To estimate the number of perinatal HIV cases among infants born in the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data were obtained from the National HIV Surveillance System on infants with HIV born in the United States (including the District of Columbia) and their mothers between 2002 and 2013 (reported through December 31, 2015). Estimates were adjusted for delay in diagnosis and reporting by weighting each reported case based on a model incorporating time from birth to diagnosis and report. Analysis was performed from April 1 to August 15, 2016. Exposures: Maternal HIV infection and antiretroviral medication, including maternal receipt prenatally or during labor/delivery and infant receipt postnatally. Main Outcomes and Measures: Diagnosis of perinatally acquired HIV infection in infants born in the United States. Infant and maternal characteristics, including receipt of perinatal HIV testing, treatment, and prophylaxis. Results: The estimated annual number of perinatally infected infants born in the United States decreased from 216 (95% CI, 206-230) in 2002 to 69 (95% CI, 60-83) in 2013. Among perinatally HIV-infected children born in 2002-2013, 836 (63.0%) of the mothers identified as black or African American and 243 (18.3%) as Hispanic or Latino. A total of 236 (37.5%) of the mothers had HIV infection diagnosed before pregnancy in 2002-2005 compared with 120 (51.5%) in 2010-2013; the proportion of mother-infant pairs receiving all 3 recommended arms of antiretroviral prophylaxis or treatment (prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal) was 22.4% in 2002-2005 and 31.8% in 2010-2013, with approximately 179 (28.4%) (2002-2005) and 94 (40.3%) (2010-2013) receiving antiretroviral prophylaxis or treatment during pregnancy. Five Southern states (Florida, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Maryland) accounted for 687 (38.0%) of infants born with HIV infection in the United States during the overall period. According to national data for live births, the incidence of perinatal HIV infection among infants born in the United States in 2013 was 1.75 per 100 000 live births. Conclusions and Relevance: Despite reduced perinatal HIV infection in the United States, missed opportunities for prevention were common among infected infants and their mothers in recent years. As of 2013, the incidence of perinatal HIV infection remained 1.75 times the proposed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission goal of 1 per 100 000 live births.