HIV cases are surging in Penobscot County

Thirteen people in Penobscot County have tested positive for HIV between Oct. 1, 2023, and Aug. 15, 2024, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of those, all tested positive for Hepatitis C and reported injecting drugs in the last year.

Eleven of the 13 people were also unhoused in the last year, the Maine CDC reported .

This spike in HIV cases is shocking in Penobscot County, which, according to the Maine CDC, has typically seen two new cases of HIV diagnosed a year over the past five years. Of those two cases per year, only one of those new cases has been in a person who injects drugs.

In April, the Maine CDC issued a health advisory stating six cases of HIV had been detected in Penobscot County, meaning cases have more than doubled in roughly four months.

HIV is a virus that attacks a person’s immune system, destroying cells that fight infection and disease, according to the CDC. There is no cure for HIV, but it can be controlled with proper medical treatment. Without treatment, HIV can develop into AIDS.

Hepatitis C is a liver infection that’s spread through contact with an infected person’s blood. Hepatitis C 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 like cirrhosis and liver cancer, according to the CDC. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, but it can be cured in most people with treatment.