WEST HAVEN, CT - The median age of the 24,000 veterans with HIV receiving care at the VA today is 53 — and many look and feel far older.

LOS ANGELES—Nearly 40% of veterans receiving antiretroviral therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection also have hepatitis C virus (HCV), yet many of them never are treated for the underlying condition.

Prevention Is the Goal
During the past three years, the VA has more than doubled the number of veterans in care who have been tested for HIV and linked those who are positive to HIV specialists. Newer programs focus on preventing transmission through aggressive treatment and prophylaxis, with mixed results.

Urban veterans with HIV may be more likely than their rural counterparts to be early adopters of new HIV therapies, a recent study suggests

Research into development of a vaccine for the HIV virus has moved so quickly in the last two years, military researchers predict that a vaccine could be available within the next decade.

VA already is the nation’s largest provider of HIV care in the nation, treating more than 24,000 veterans who have tested positive for the virus, and that number is certain to increase with a program to dramatically increase screening of veterans.