Oregon announces plan to end HIV transmission

Oregon state health authorities announced a plan Wednesday to end HIV transmission that relies on increased testing, prevention and treatment.

The five-year initiative, End HIV Oregon, aims to get more people tested for the virus, encourage prevention programs such as needle exchanges, education, condom distribution and the increased use of drugs that have been shown to be highly effective in blocking transmission.

“We look forward to a new reality in Oregon — the elimination of HIV transmission as we know it,” Lillian Shirley, director of the Public Health Division, said in a statement. “This is not a lofty, pie-in-the-sky goal. We know what it takes and we have what it takes to get there.”

Several countries have eliminated the mother-to-child transmission of HIV, including Armenia and Thailand. New York State, following a plan announced in 2012, has done the same.

In Oregon, most new cases are in gay men but they don’t all know it. The Public Health Division said that about 1,100 people in Oregon are unaware that they’re infected with the virus. Officials estimate that increased testing could prevent 150 new infections over the next three years.

Another eight infections could be prevented if 1,000 people at the highest risk of contracting the disease took a daily pill that prevents transmission up to 92 percent. Among those with the virus, only 68 percent are taking a prophylaxis, state health officials said.

One barrier is cost: Truvada, the leading pill, costs nearly $1,600 a month out-of-pocket.

State health officials said they’ll work with health departments, care organizations and private health systems to reduce transmission and ensure that those who are infected have access to treatment.