CDC on Tuesday announced that it will release new estimates of annual HIV incidence in the U.S. in the Aug. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Reuters reports. "These new incidence estimates are based on direct measurement of new HIV infections and will provide the clearest picture to date of incidence," the agency said (Fox, Reuters, 7/22).

CDC for more than 10 years reported that 40,000 new HIV infections occur annually in the U.S. and said that the HIV epidemic in the U.S. is stable. In recent years, the agency has developed new testing technology and has updated its methodology to yield more accurate data (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/3/07).

When announcing the release of the new data, CDC said, "These more precise estimates are possible now only because of breakthrough technology developed by CDC that can distinguish recent from long-standing HIV infections." The agency added that because the system is new, it had to "receive rigorous scientific review." In addition, the "process took longer than we anticipated, but, in the end, it had produced estimates that are more reliable and scientifically sound than would have occurred without the independent review," CDC said (Reuters, 7/22).


A new CDC fact sheet on HIV/AIDS surveillance is available online. The CDC letter also is available online.