Measure Description
This metric represents the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV in San Francisco who achieve viral suppression within twelve months of their diagnosis. Viral suppression is defined as a viral load of less than 200 copies/ml at the patient's last viral load test.
Achieving viral suppression is the ultimate outcome in the HIV treatment and continuum of care for HIV.
Why this Measure is Important
Achieving viral suppression is the ultimate outcome in the HIV treatment cascade and continuum of care for HIV, which starts with getting people diagnosed, linked to care, continuously engaged in medical care, and on an antiretroviral therapy regimen. Achieving and maintaining viral suppression is important because it leads to better health outcomes for the patient and reduces risk of HIV transmission by over 90 percent.
The interactive chart below presents the percentage of San Francisco residents diagnosed with HIV who achieve viral suppression within the first 12 months of diagnosis.
The chart’s legend is below:
- Y-axis: Percent of San Francisco residents newly diagnosed with HIV who achieve viral suppression within a year of diagnosis
- X-axis: Calendar year
Percentage of People Newly Diagnosed with HIV Achieving Viral Suppression
How Performance is Measured
All laboratories and testing facilities in San Francisco, both public and private, are mandated to report all HIV-related tests (including viral load and CD4 tests) to the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
When a positive laboratory test is received, it is matched against data for San Francisco, California, and the nation to verify whether the laboratory result is from a person with a new or known HIV diagnosis. Subsequent laboratory tests are matched to the HIV case registry and updated in the HIV/AIDS reporting system. Medical care received outside of San Francisco may also be captured and updated in this reporting system by the State Office of AIDS.
Data Notes and Sources
You can connect to the data behind this chart, as well as data for other Scorecard visualizations. Visit San Francisco’s open data portal to view or download the Scorecard Measures data set.
Additional Information
Read more about HIV/AIDS in San Francisco.
Read more about the Getting to Zero San Francisco initiative.
City Performance Scorecards
This page is part of the City Performance Scorecards.
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