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. 2022 Jan;26(Suppl 1):165-170.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-021-03538-9. Epub 2022 Jan 14.

Communicating During an HIV Outbreak Among People Who Inject Drugs-West Virginia 2019

Meg Watson  1 , Erica Thomasson  2   3 , Elizabeth Adkins  4 , Samantha Batdorf  2 , Michael Kilkenny  4 , Shelly Sikes Diaz  5 , Laura Pegram  6 , Jeffrey Kemp Rinderle  5 , Michael LaFlam  5 , Rachel Wingard  5 , R Paul McClung  5   7 , Alexandra M Oster  5   7 , Jo Stryker  5
Affiliations

Communicating During an HIV Outbreak Among People Who Inject Drugs-West Virginia 2019

Meg Watson et al. AIDS Behav. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

In 2019, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health (WV BPH), Cabell-Huntington Health Department (CHHD), and CDC collaborated to respond to an HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs (PWID). CDC, WV BPH, and CHHD formed a cross-agency communications team to establish situational awareness, identify knowledge gaps, and establish key audiences for messages, including the general population, PWID, and clinical and social service providers. The team disseminated up-to-date information about the outbreak, and prioritized messages addressing stigma related to drug use, syringe services programs, and HIV. Messages were continually updated to address the evolving situation and to resonate with local values. Messages were disseminated via advertisements, local news media, and directly to PWID, people experiencing homelessness, and providers. The response supplemented CHHD's assets, including strong relationships and community knowledge, with staff capacity and expertise from state and federal agencies. This collaborative approach is a useful model to address communication needs.

Keywords: HIV; Outbreak communication; Outbreak response; People who use drugs; Public health communication; Substance use disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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