The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported another person tested positive for HIV Penobscot County on Thursday, bringing the region’s total to 23 cases since October 2023.
Of the 23 people who are newly diagnosed with HIV, all of them reported injecting drugs within a year of being diagnosed, according to the Maine CDC.
The new case is the second HIV diagnosis in the last two weeks. 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. Additionally, 21 of the 23 who tested positive reported being homeless within a year of being diagnosed.
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.