LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Ingham County Well being Division officers are ratcheting up medical outreach and prevention actions after figuring out a “trend” of recent HIV circumstances amongst individuals who have a historical past of injecting medicine.
“I will say that we noticed the trend,” Shoyinka tells 6 Information. “We had, you know, this number of new cases that were identified and we recognized that. And in four of those cases, all of them had a history of IV drug use or or identified as IV drug use being the main factor of acquisition.”
That triggered the division to ship notices to medical suppliers all through Ingham County by way of the Michigan Well being Alert Community. That’s a state system that connects suppliers and public well being officers electronically permitting well being officers to inform well being care suppliers of developments associated to well being points and issues – together with infectious illness like HIV.
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The alert was despatched to Ingham County medical suppliers on Aug. 28, 2025. The memo encourages physicians to observe CDC pointers encouraging each American between the ages of 13 and 64 to get no less than one HIV check of their lifetime. The memo additionally famous that folks with extra threat components needs to be examined extra usually and must be supplied info on HIV prevention choices, together with Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP.
Michigan Division of Well being and Human Companies Spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin tells 6 Information that Ingham County reported two newly recognized circumstances of HIV in 2024. That’s from information collected by the state however not but made public.
Shoyinka says the 4 circumstances recognized to date this 12 months don’t look like linked and that there’s not an outbreak. Hyperlinks could be established by way of interviews with folks just lately recognized who share the identities of individuals they could have had intercourse with or shared needles with. The viruses in newly recognized folks can be genetically analyzed to find out if they’re associated.
The Ingham County Well being Division. (WLNS)
HIV is a virus that slowly destroys an individual’s immune system. An individual can reside with the virus for a few years with none signs, however throughout that point they will nonetheless transmit the an infection to their sexual companions, needle sharing companions or from mom to child throughout delivery or breast feeding.
Remedy for the virus has superior considerably for the reason that mid-Nineties. An individual recognized as we speak and who has entry to medical care and medicine is predicted to reside a lifespan just like an individual of the identical age who isn’t residing with the virus.
The later within the illness course of, the tougher it’s to deal with the an infection and reduce the injury it does to an individual’s immune system. Well being officers encourage HIV testing particularly to detect an infection as early as doable and to attach the newly recognized individual with medical care and remedy.
Medicines additionally suppress the virus a lot that it can’t be detected in blood checks. Suppression of the virus means it can’t be sexually transmitted. Well being officers level out that this not solely helps an individual reside a more healthy life however prevents transmission. It’s a prevention technique known as “treatment as prevention” or “undetectable equals untransmissible.”
Ingham County Well being Officers are pushing not solely medical suppliers to encourage testing for HIV, but in addition neighborhood organizations to help and encourage testing for the virus as properly.
“But early testing is key. That is so important. Early testing is key,” says Jessica Yorko, Ingham County’s Division Director Division of Well being Promotion and Prevention.
Find HIV testing close to you:
CDC HIV Testing location service by zip code
Lansing Space AIDS Community on-line scheduling for testing appointments
Yorko, Shoyinka and different well being officers have been participating with neighborhood organizations that present companies to the communities of individuals residing with substance use dysfunction who could inject medicine to supply info on testing for HIV and entry to testing alternatives.
Group organizations providing hurt discount companies for folks residing with substance abuse dysfunction who inject medicine. (Courtesy Ingham County Well being Division)
Group organizations providing hurt discount companies for folks residing with substance abuse dysfunction who inject medicine. (Courtesy Ingham County Well being Division)
Many organizations and the well being division have established merchandising machines to handle overdose associated issues. The machines present check strips to determine medicine corresponding to fentanyl, in addition to Narcan to reverse opioid associated overdoses.
The crew with Ingham County Well being Division can also be closely encouraging folks to think about accessing a medicine based mostly HIV prevention possibility known as PrEP or Pre-exposure Prophylaxis.
A once-a-day capsule authorised in 2012 has been proven to stop an individual who doesn’t have HIV from contracting it. Research reveal PrEP is as a lot as 99% efficient in stopping somebody from getting HIV. Choices for drugs have since expanded to a as soon as each three months injectable and a as soon as each six months injectable remedy.
The outreach and coordination has already resulted in connections, says Kristina Schmigdall, govt director of the Lansing Space AIDS Community. Two of the areas needle alternate packages have workplace house in the identical constructing as her group and they’re partnering with LAAN to extend entry to HIV testing for needle alternate purchasers.
“We have built a relationship with two local organizations serving this community, Lansing syringe access and Punks with Lunch,” she tells 6 Information. “We continue to offer testing through those organizations as well as at our agency.”
