| Background: From 2009 to 2014, HIV co-infected cases with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) increased by 9% in Florida. The aim of this research study was to identify factors associated with HIV and HIV/HCV co-infection acquisition.;Methods: De-identified data were extracted and merged from Florida's disease surveillance systems, Merlin and the Enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System (eHARS). The dataset included demographic information and risk behaviors related to disease transmission such as men who have sex with other men (MSM) and injection drug use (IDU). Statistical analyses were performed to ascertain factors associated with disease acquisition.;Results: From 2003 to 2014, there were 107,578 reported HIV cases, in which men accounted for 72% (N=77,408). Additionally, 9.9% (N=10,630) of the HIV cases were coinfected with HCV. There was an association between IDU and co-infection (?2: 7113.5; p-value: <0.0001) and being between the ages of 40 to 49 (?2: 157.17; p-value: <0.0001). The likelihood of co-infection was greater among individuals that were both IDU and MSM (OR: 5.18, 95% CI: 4.76, 5.63) and IDU only (OR: 8.88, 95% CI: 8.35, 9.44).;Conclusions: The study revealed that the likelihood of HIV was much higher among younger, Black Non-Hispanic MSM. Individuals that were both MSM and IDU were more likely to become co-infected. Therefore, continuous HIV intervention efforts may be more effective if focused on minorities and MSM. However, intervention efforts for co-infection might be more substantial among IDU who are also MSM. |
