Dr. David Di John is the medical director of the UNLV Health Maternal Child Wellness Program | UNLV.edu
Dr. David Di John is the medical director of the UNLV Health Maternal Child Wellness Program | UNLV.edu
With thousands of people living with HIV in Nevada and young people among the highest rates for new infections, a local doctor believes there will be a continued need to provide care for these patients.
Dr. David Di John is an infectious disease specialist, professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and also serves as medical director UNLV Health Maternal Child Wellness Program.
"Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Southern Nevada Health District reveal there are more than 10,000 persons living with HIV in Clark County," Dr. John said in a September 15 press release.
In his statement, Dr. John also pointed out that 1,500 women of childbearing age have HIV, so infants born to these women would need to be evaluated and receive care. He also added teenagers and young adults between the ages of 13-24 are among the highest rates of new infections, with more than 40% of cases going undiagnosed. He called the MCWP program an important part of the push to end the HIV epidemic.
Dr. John said the program has had much success with the treatments it provides, especially since none of their patients have died from the virus. He said all of the patients are on antiretroviral therapies and more than 90% have reached a level where standard tests can no longer detect HIV and it is not likely to be transmitted, according to the release.
It's a great improvement from when Dr. John worked and oversaw an AIDS clinic in the 1980s and 1990s when the country saw a HIV and AIDS outbreak and children who caught the virus from their mothers died at a young age.
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