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\nHIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) share some common risk behaviors, risk factors, and modes of transmission\u2014with tuberculosis (TB) being the leading killer of people living with HIV. CDC's approach to controlling and preventing these diseases addresses their overlapping epidemics and impact on health. We teach people how to avoid getting infected in the first place and how to keep from spreading STDs to others. We also work to prevent sexual risk behaviors in youth and to reduce health inequalities.
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\n 3 Million
\nAbout 3 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus, which can cause liver disease. Most are baby boomers.
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\n 1 in 4
\nAbout 1 in 4 new HIV infections occurs in youth, ages 13-24 years.
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\n $16 Billion
\n20 million new HIV and sexually transmitted infections cost the U.S. nearly $16 billion in direct medical costs each year.
\nKey Accomplishments
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- Helped reduce cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the U.S. from 25,103 in 1993 to 9,945 in 2012. \n
- Determined that a medication used to treat HIV infection can also lower the risk of getting infected with HIV by nearly 50% among people who inject drugs. \n
- Launched the first national, multilingual hepatitis B campaign for Asian Americans, who represent more than half of the 1.2 million Americans living with chronic hepatitis B. \n
- Expanded routine HIV screening in healthcare facilities to reduce the number of infected people who spread the disease to their partners. \n
Nearly 84% of HIV+ Americans Know Their Status
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More Americans with HIV know their status than ever, but there is still much work to do.
Fighting Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
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\n CDC works to prevent TB, which affects 10,000 Americans each year.
\nWhen Esteban and Danielle decided to adopt, the South Carolina couple was particularly interested in parenting an international child. After working with an adoption agency for two years, they finally received exciting news that two young Ethiopian girls were available.
\nHowever, their excitement turned to worry when they arrived in Ethiopia and were told that the older girl had tuberculosis (TB). After an evaluation found she could not infect anyone else, the child was cleared for travel. Back home in South Carolina, Esteban and Danielle followed up with their doctor. A chest x-ray of their child revealed a dark spot. More bad news came\u2014it was multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB), which requires a more difficult treatment of expensive drugs.
\nFortunately, the family received valuable support from the South Carolina TB Control Program. A TB control nurse, connected them with a program that provides free treatment and arranged for a school nurse to manage the girl's treatment.
\nThere are hundreds of thousands of cases of MDR TB around the world, with less than 25% of the existing cases worldwide detected. This lack of treatment represents a major threat to important gains in global TB prevention control. CDC works to protect Americans and the world from drug-resistant diseases.
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