Information Source on HIV Prevention, Care & Treatment: Public Health Reports

Public Health ReportsExit Disclaimer (PHR) has served as the official journal of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service for 140 years. Since its inception, the journal has focused on many public health topics, making sure to publish high-quality scientific information that aids in preserving and advancing the health and wellness of American citizens. Moreover, PHR's mission has always centered on reporting cases of disease, risk factors, epidemics, and public health issues so that health authorities have the proper information to take action.

PHR has consistently reported on the greatest public health issues in the United States. One such issue is HIV/AIDS. Spanning the 37 years since the first case reports of AIDS in the U.S., PHR has covered a variety of HIV-related content. Topics have included HIV surveillance; prevalence of HIV in vulnerable populations, such as American Indians/Alaska Natives, and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; and HIV screening and testing.

Just this year alone, PHR has featured several articles highlighting findings from various approaches to HIV prevention, testing, linkage to care, and treatment. For example, with growing interest in making use of HIV case surveillance and other health care databases for public health action to optimize the health outcomes of people living with HIV, one articleExit Disclaimer centered on an analysis of the accuracy of contact information in these data sources. The analysis found that HIV case surveillance and HIV health care facility data are the most useful data sources for locating people living with HIV. However, it was uncovered that accuracy of certain contact information in HIV case surveillance differed across jurisdictions, thus identifying the need to create more universal and efficient methods of data collection.

Some of the other topics explored in PHR articles about HIV published this year include:

• Evaluating the Evidence for More Frequent Than Annual HIV Screening of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United StatesExit Disclaimer
• Excess Clinical Comorbidity Among HIV-Infected Patients Accessing Primary Care in US Community Health CentersExit Disclaimer
• Assessing New Diagnoses of HIV Among American Indian/Alaska Natives Served by the Indian Health Service, 2005-2014Exit Disclaimer

Also worth noting is a Surgeon General's Perspective piece in Public Health Reports by Deputy Surgeon General Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams entitled "Charting the Course to End HIV Transmission in the U.S.Exit Disclaimer," which was featured in November 2017. Here, Dr. Trent-Adams discusses the multifaceted approach that must be pursued to end HIV. 

HIV research represents one of PHR's largest content areas. The journal serves as a valuable resource for the latest scientific evidence on HIV epidemiology, prevention, and treatment for public health professionals and other HIV community stakeholders.

Editor's note: HIV.gov appreciates the contribution from Jared Stokes, PHR/OSG ORISE Fellow at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).