A 24th person in Penobscot County has tested positive for HIV since an outbreak began in October 2023, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
All of the 24 people who are newly diagnosed with HIV reported injecting drugs within a year of being diagnosed and 23 were homeless within a year of their diagnosis, according to the Maine CDC.
The new diagnosis is the first new HIV case in April. Typically, Penobscot County has seen two new cases annually over the last five years, according to the Maine CDC.
HIV attacks a person’s immune system, destroying cells that fight infection and disease, according to the CDC. It can be controlled with proper medical treatment, but there is no cure.
All but one of the people who are newly diagnosed with HIV also tested positive for hepatitis C, the Maine CDC reported.
Hepatitis C is a liver infection that can be a short-term illness in some people, but becomes a chronic condition in more than half and leads to serious and life-threatening conditions, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, according to the CDC.
