Detailed Data Tables: People Who Inject Drugs
Detailed Data Tables: People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)
Recent changes to the presentation of Massachusetts HIV/AIDS surveillance data
Effective January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Bureau of Infectious Disease, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports and other HIV data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts. As of January 1, 2015, this resulted in the removal of 4,401 HIV/AIDS cases, of which 1,021 have died and 3,380 were living. These persons living with HIV/AIDS may still continue to reside and receive care in the Commonwealth. The total number of persons living with HIV/AIDS, irrespective of location at diagnosis, is the basis for MDPH service planning. Please note that previous HIV/AIDS fact sheets, data reports and presentations included cases that may have been first diagnosed in another state.
Also effective January 1, 2011, the MDPH HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to eliminate the presumed heterosexual risk category for men; those cases have been reassigned to the no identified risk (NIR) category. The presumed heterosexual risk category was used with the intention of identifying HIV risk for women when sex with men is the only reported risk factor, there is no evidence of current or past injection drug use (IDU), and behavioral risk and HIV status information about male sexual partners are unknown. The application of the presumed heterosexual risk category to men is overly inclusive in that woman to man HIV transmission is biologically less probable, and there are alternate risks that are possible for men, including sex with other men (MSM) or IDU. The CDC reports men diagnosed with HIV/AIDS who report sex with women as their only risk factor, without corresponding partner risk or HIV status information, in the NIR category. This revision to report presumed heterosexual male HIV/AIDS cases as NIR will bring Massachusetts HIV/AIDS case reporting for men in alignment with CDC standards.The MDPH will maintain presumed heterosexual and heterosexual risk categories for women.
/ People Living with HIV/AIDS on 12/31/14
Reported risk:
/N
/%
Male-to-male sex (MSM) / 7,450 / 38%Injection drug use (IDU) / 3,633 / 18%
MSM/IDU / 677 / 3%
Receipt of blood/blood products/other / 66 / <1%
Pediatric / 340 / 2%
Total heterosexual sex (HTSX) / 2,768 / 14%
- HTSX w/ an injection drug user
- HTSX w/ bisexual men (women only)
- HTSX w/ a person w/ HIV or AIDS
- Other HTSX2
Total undetermined/other / 4,803 / 24%
- Presumed heterosexual sex3
- Undetermined/other4
Total / 19,737 / 100%
1 Effective, January 1, 2011 the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2 Includes heterosexual sex with a person who received blood/blood products.
3 Includes woman sex with men of unknown HIV status or risk. This category is limited to women.
4 Includes man sex with women of unknown HIV status or risk, those still being followed up for risk information, those who have died with no determined risk, and those lost to follow-up.
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding), data as of 1/1/15
Note: The category of “presumed heterosexual” is used in Massachusetts to re-assign women who are reported with arisk of heterosexual sex, but only with a partner of unknown HIV status or behavioral risk. Massachusetts uses the category of presumed heterosexual to distinguish these women cases from other undetermined cases about which we know less. Prior to January 1, 2011, the presumed heterosexual category was also used to report HIV data in men. The rationale for the application of the presumed heterosexual reported risk category to women only has been addressed in the MDPH OHA report “Intersecting Risks: HIV Infection among Heterosexual Women and Men in Massachusetts.” (2010). Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorize “presumed heterosexual” cases as “no identified risk” (NIR). As such, comparisons of the presumed heterosexual category cannot be made to national data. Caution should be used in interpreting data for presumed heterosexual, as it is still not clear what the risk was for women in this category. Although a person may not report other risk behaviors, such as injection drug use to a health care provider, it does not exclude the possibility that an individual has experienced these other risks. There are many barriers to disclosing HIV risk behaviors in the health care setting such as a limited patient-provider relationship or stigma.
Table 2. People diagnosed with HIV infection by reported risk:Massachusetts1, 2011–20132/ HIV Diagnoses
Reported risk:
/N
/%
Male-to-male sex (MSM) / 917 / 44%Injection Drug Use (IDU) / 154 / 7%
MSM/IDU / 56 / 3%
Receipt of Blood/Blood products / 0 / 0%
Total pediatric / 10 / <1%
- Pediatric IDU-related3
- Pediatric not IDU-related
Total Heterosexual Sex (HTSX) / 200 / 10%
- HTSX w/ an injection drug user
- HTSX w/ bisexual men (women only)
- HTSX w/ a person w/ HIV or AIDS
- Other HTSX4
Total Undetermined/Other / 767 / 36%
- Presumed Heterosexual Sex5
- Undetermined/Other6
Total / 2,104 / 100%
1Effective January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2Reflects year of HIV infection diagnosis among all individuals reported with HIV infection, with or without an AIDS diagnosis for the most recently available three-year period after the implementation of HIV infection reporting in 1999.
3 Includes pediatric risk with a maternal risk of injection drug use and pediatric risk with a maternal risk of sex with an injection drug user
4 Includes heterosexual sex with a person who received blood/blood products.
5Includes woman sex with men of unknown HIV status or risk. This category is limited to women.
6Includes man sex with women of unknown HIV status or risk, those still being followed up for risk information, those who have died with no determined risk, and those lost to follow-up.
7 Values less than five are suppressed for populations less than 50,000 or for unknown values. Additional values may be suppressed to prevent back calculation.
N/A = Not Applicable
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding), data as of 1/1/15
Table 3.People diagnosed with HIV infection by reported risk and year of diagnosis: Massachusetts1, 2004–20132
MSM / IDU / MSM/IDU / HTSX / Pres.HTSX3 / Undeter-mined4 / Total5
N / % / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / % / N
2004 / 292 / 32% / 147 / 16% / 26 / 3% / 139 / 15% / 112 / 12% / 195 / 21% / 922
2005 / 349 / 39% / 123 / 14% / 23 / 3% / 112 / 12% / 100 / 11% / 190 / 21% / 902
2006 / 344 / 42% / 98 / 12% / 18 / 2% / 102 / 12% / 105 / 13% / 152 / 18% / 825
2007 / 295 / 39% / 96 / 13% / 22 / 3% / 82 / 11% / 84 / 11% / 163 / 22% / 747
2008 / 291 / 39% / 71 / 10% / 29 / 4% / 95 / 13% / 83 / 11% / 166 / 22% / 742
2009 / 317 / 45% / 49 / 7% / 18 / 3% / 90 / 13% / 64 / 9% / 164 / 23% / 706
2010 / 296 / 42% / 68 / 10% / 23 / 3% / 84 / 12% / 86 / 12% / 135 / 19% / 698
2011 / 276 / 40% / 64 / 9% / 19 / 3% / 87 / 12% / 82 / 12% / 166 / 24% / 697
2012 / 320 / 45% / 48 / 7% / 22 / 3% / 68 / 10% / 97 / 14% / 150 / 21% / 709
2013 / 321 / 46% / 42 / 6% / 15 / 2% / 45 / 6% / 96 / 14% / 176 / 25% / 698
1 Effective, January 1, 2011 the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2Reflects year of HIV infection diagnosis among all individuals reported with HIV infection, with or without an AIDS diagnosis for the most recently available 10 year period after the implementation of HIV infection reporting in 1999.
3 Includes woman sex with men of unknown HIV status or risk. This category is limited to women.
4 Includes man sex with women of unknown HIV status or risk, those still being followed up for risk information, those who have died with no determined risk, and those lost to follow-up.
5 Totals include pediatric and blood/blood products reported risks
MSM = Male-to-Male Sex; IDU = Injection Drug Use; HTSX = Heterosexual Sex; Pres. HTSX = Presumed Heterosexual SexData Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding), data as of 1/1/15
Table 4. People living with HIV/AIDS on December 31, 2014 by gender and reported risk: Massachusetts1
Men / Women
Reported risk: / N / % / N / %
Male-to-male sex (MSM) / 7,450 / 53% / N/A / N/A
Injection drug use (IDU) / 2,392 / 17% / 1,241 / 22%
MSM/IDU / 677 / 5% / N/A / N/A
Heterosexual sex / 823 / 6% / 1,945 / 34%
Other / 224 / 2% / 182 / 3%
Total undetermined/other / 2,532 / 18% / 2,271 / 40%
- Presumed heterosexual sex2
- Undetermined3
Total / 14,098 / 100% / 5,639 / 100%
1Effective, January 1, 2011 the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2 Includes woman sex with men of unknown HIV status or risk. This category is limited to women.
3 Includes man sex with women of unknown HIV status or risk, those still being followed up for risk information, those who have died with no determined risk, and those lost to follow-up.
N/A=Not Applicable
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding), data as of 1/1/15
Table 5. People diagnosed with HIV infection by gender and reported risk: Massachusetts1, 2011–20132
Men / Women / State Total
Reported risk: / N / % / N / % / N / %
Male-to-male sex (MSM) / 917 / 59% / N/A / N/A / 917 / 44%
Injection drug use (IDU) / 95 / 6% / 59 / 11% / 154 / 7%
MSM/IDU / 56 / 4% / N/A / N/A / 56 / 3%
Heterosexual sex / 72 / 5% / 128 / 23% / 200 / 10%
Other / 6 / <1% / 4 / 1% / 10 / <1%
Total undetermined/other / 407 / 26% / 360 / 65% / 767 / 36%
- Pres. HTSX3 / N/A / N/A / 275 / 50% / 275 / 13%
- Undetermined4 / 407 / 26% / 85 / 15% / 492 / 23%
Total / 1,553 / 100% / 551 / 100% / 2,104 / 100%
1Effective, January 1, 2011 the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2 Reflects year of HIV diagnosis among all individuals reported with HIV infection, with or without an AIDS diagnosis for the most recently available three-year period after the implementation of HIV infection reporting in 1999.
3 Includes woman sex with men of unknown HIV status or risk. This category is limited to women.
4Includes man sex with women of unknown HIV status or risk, those still being followed up for risk information, those who have died with no determined risk, and those lost to follow-up.
Pres. HTSX = Presumed Heterosexual Sex; N/A = Not Applicable
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding), Data as of 1/1/15
Table 6. People diagnosed with HIV infection by gender, race/ethnicity, andreported risk: Massachusetts1, 2011–20132
IDU / MSM/IDU / HTSX w/ IDU / Pediatric-IDU-related3 / All Other Modes4
Gender: / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / %
Men / 95 / 62% / 56 / 100% / 13 / 42% / 0 / 0% / 1,389 / 75%
Women / 59 / 38% / 0 / 0% / 18 / 58% / 0 / 0% / 474 / 25%
Race/
Ethnicity: / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / %
WhiteNH / 64 / 42% / 45 / 80% / 8 / 26% / 0 / 0% / 660 / 35%
BlackNH / 24 / 16% / --5 / --5 / 8 / 26% / 0 / 0% / 625 / 34%
Hispanic / 64 / 42% / 7 / 13% / 13 / 42% / 0 / 0% / 489 / 26%
API / --5 / --5 / --5 / --5 / --5 / --5 / 0 / 0% / 64 / 3%
Other/Unk. / --5 / --5 / 0 / 0% / --5 / --5 / 0 / 0% / 25 / 1%
Total / 154 / 100% / 56 / 100% / 31 / 100% / 0 / 0% / 1,863 / 100%
1Effective January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2Reflects year of HIV infection diagnosis among all individuals reported with HIV infection, with or without an AIDS diagnosis for the most recently available three-year period after the implementation of HIV infection reporting in 1999.
3 Includes pediatric risk with a maternal risk of injection drug use and pediatric risk with a maternal risk of sex with an injection drug user.
4Includes MSM, heterosexual sex with a person with HIV or AIDS, heterosexual sex with abi-sexual man (women only), presumed heterosexual sex (women only), blood/blood products, pediatric risks where maternal risk was NOT injection drug use or sex with an injection drug user, and all other/undetermined risks.
5Values less than five are suppressed for populations less than 50,000 or for unknown values. Additional values may be suppressed to prevent back calculation.
NH=Non-Hispanic
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding); data as of 1/1/15
Table 7. People living with HIV/AIDS on December 31, 2014 by gender, race/ethnicity, and reported risk: Massachusetts1
IDU / MSM/IDU / HTSX w/ IDU / Pediatric-IDU-related2 / All Other Modes3
Gender: / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / %
Men / 2,392 / 66% / 677 / 100% / 189 / 21% / 6 / 50% / 10,834 / 75%
Women / 1,241 / 34% / 0 / 0% / 701 / 79% / 6 / 50% / 3,691 / 25%
Race/
Ethnicity: / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / %
WhiteNH / 1,307 / 36% / 427 / 63% / 258 / 29% / 6 / 50% / 6,470 / 45%
BlackNH / 858 / 24% / 109 / 16% / 241 / 27% / --4 / --4 / 4,682 / 32%
Hispanic / 1,427 / 39% / 130 / 19% / 377 / 42% / --4 / --4 / 2,931 / 20%
API / 18 / <1% / --4 / --4 / --4 / --4 / 0 / 0% / 334 / 2%
Other/Unk. / 23 / 1% / --4 / --4 / --4 / --4 / 0 / 0% / 108 / 1%
Total / 3,633 / 100% / 677 / 100% / 890 / 100% / 12 / 100% / 14,525 / 100%
1Effective January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2 Includes pediatric risk with a maternal risk of injection drug use and pediatric risk with a maternal risk of sex with an injection drug user.
3 Includes MSM, heterosexual sex with a person with HIV or AIDS, heterosexual sex with a bi-sexual man (women only), presumed heterosexual sex (women only), blood/blood products, pediatric risks where maternal risk was NOT injection drug use or sex with an injection drug user, and all other/undetermined risks.
4Values less than five are suppressed for populations less than 50,000 or for unknown values. Additional values may be suppressed to prevent back calculation.
NH = Non-Hispanic
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding); data as of 1/1/15
Table 8. People living with HIV/AIDS on December 31, 2014where the reported risk is IDU, gender by race/ethnicity: Massachusetts1
White NH / Black NH / Hispanic / Other/Unknown / Total2N
/ % /N
/ % /N
/ % /N
/ % /N
/ %Men / 731 / 31% / 576 / 24% / 1,057 / 44% / 28 / 1% / 2,392 / 100%
Women / 576 / 46% / 282 / 23% / 370 / 30% / 13 / 1% / 1,241 / 100%
1Effective January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2Values less than five are suppressed for populations less than 50,000 or for unknown values. Additional values may be suppressed to prevent back calculation.
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding); data as of 1/1/15
Table 9. People diagnosed with HIV infection within the years 2011–20131where the reported risk is IDU, gender by race/ethnicity: Massachusetts2
White NH / Black NH / Hispanic / API / Other/Unknown / Total
N
/ % /N
/ % /N
/ % /N
/ % /N
/ % /N
/ %Men / 27 / 28% / 18 / 19% / 48 / 51% / --2 / --2 / --2 / --2 / 95 / 100%
Women / 37 / 63% / 6 / 10% / 16 / 27% / --2 / --2 / --2 / --2 / 59 / 100%
1Effective January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2Values less than five are suppressed for populations less than 50,000 or for unknown values. Additional values may be suppressed to prevent back calculation.
NH = Non-Hispanic
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding); data as of 1/1/15
Table 10. People diagnosed with HIV infection within the years2011–20131by age at HIV diagnosis andreported risk: Massachusetts2
IDU / MSM/IDU / HTSX w/ IDU / All Other Modes3
Age (yrs) / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / %
<13 / 0 / 0% / 0 / 0% / 0 / 0% / 7 / <1%
13–19 / 0 / 0% / --4 / --4 / 0 / 0% / 62 / 3%
20–24 / 6 / 4% / 11 / 20% / --4 / --4 / 203 / 11%
25–29 / 9 / 6% / 11 / 20% / 0 / 0% / 250 / 13%
30–34 / 21 / 14% / 8 / 14% / --4 / --4 / 250 / 13%
35–39 / 19 / 12% / 6 / 11% / --4 / --4 / 200 / 11%
40–44 / 16 / 10% / 6 / 11% / 10 / 32% / 248 / 13%
45–49 / 33 / 21% / 8 / 14% / 6 / 19% / 261 / 14%
50–54 / 22 / 14% / --4 / --4 / 5 / 16% / 172 / 9%
55–59 / 19 / 12% / --4 / --4 / --4 / --4 / 106 / 6%
60+ / 9 / 6% / --4 / --4 / --4 / --4 / 104 / 6%
Total / 154 / 100% / 56 / 100% / 31 / 100% / 1,863 / 100%
1Reflects year of HIV infection diagnosis among all individuals reported with HIV infection, with or without an AIDS diagnosis for the most recently available three-year period after the implementation of HIV infection reporting in 1999.
2Effective January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
3 Includes MSM, heterosexual sex with a person with HIV or AIDS, heterosexual sex with a bi-sexual man (women only), presumed heterosexual sex (women only), blood/blood products, pediatric risks where maternal risk was NOT injection drug use or sex with an injection drug user, and all other/undetermined risks.
4Values less than five are suppressed for populations less than 50,000 or for unknown values. Additional values may be suppressed to prevent back calculation.
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding); data as of 1/1/15
Table 11. People living with HIV/AIDS on December 31, 2014by current age and reported risk: Massachusetts1
IDU / MSM/IDU / HTSX w/ IDU / All Other Modes3
Age (yrs) / N / % / N / % / N / % / N / %
<13 / 0 / 0% / 0 / 0% / 0 / 0% / 23 / <1%
13–19 / --4 / --4 / 0 / 0% / 0 / 0% / 77 / 1%
20–24 / --4 / --4 / 5 / 1% / --4 / --4 / 285 / 2%
25–29 / 17 / <1% / 22 / 3% / --4 / --4 / 591 / 4%
30–34 / 66 / 2% / 36 / 5% / 16 / 2% / 815 / 6%
35–39 / 132 / 4% / 56 / 8% / 49 / 6% / 1,071 / 7%
40–44 / 211 / 6% / 66 / 10% / 85 / 10% / 1,525 / 10%
45–49 / 548 / 15% / 124 / 18% / 175 / 20% / 2,404 / 17%
50–54 / 899 / 25% / 149 / 22% / 210 / 24% / 2,875 / 20%
55–59 / 934 / 26% / 128 / 19% / 171 / 19% / 2,180 / 15%
60+ / 825 / 23% / 91 / 13% / 180 / 20% / 2,679 / 18%
Total5 / 3,633 / 100% / 677 / 100% / 890 / 100% / 14,525 / 100%
1Effective January 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.
2 Includes pediatric risk with a maternal risk of injection drug use and pediatric risk with a maternal risk of sex with an injection drug user.
3 Includes MSM, heterosexual sex with a person with HIV or AIDS, heterosexual sex with a bi-sexual man (women only), presumed heterosexual sex (women only), blood/blood products, pediatric risks where maternal risk was NOT injection drug use or sex with an injection drug user, and all other/undetermined risks.
4Values less than five are suppressed for populations less than 50,000 or for unknown values. Additional values may be suppressed to prevent back calculation.
Data Source: MDPH HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program (percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding); data as of 1/1/15
Table 12. Percentage distribution of people living with HIV/AIDS on December 31, 2014 by Health Service Region (HSR)1 and reported risk: Massachusetts2
HSR / MSM / IDU / MSM/
IDU / HTSX / Other / Pres.
HTSX3 / Undet.4 / Total
% / % / % / % / % / % / % / N
Boston / 48% / 12% / 3% / 12% / 2% / 8% / 14% / 6,236
Central / 26% / 26% / 3% / 18% / 3% / 12% / 12% / 1,654
Metrowest / 42% / 10% / 3% / 13% / 2% / 11% / 18% / 2,911
Northeast / 33% / 15% / 3% / 16% / 2% / 12% / 20% / 3,147
Southeast / 40% / 19% / 3% / 15% / 2% / 8% / 13% / 2,723
Western / 27% / 26% / 3% / 17% / 3% / 9% / 14% / 2,143
Prison5 / 7% / 66% / 8% / 6% / <1% / 1% / 12% / 908
Total6 / 38% / 18% / 3% / 14% / 2% / 9% / 15% / 19,737
1Reflects the health service region of a person’s residence at the time of report (not necessarily current residence). See Epidemiologic Profile General Appendices, Health Service Region Maps, available at for configuration of health service regions.
2Effective, January 1, 2011 the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS fact sheets, epidemiologic reports, and other data presentations have been updated to remove all HIV/AIDS cases that were first diagnosed in another state before being reported in Massachusetts.