About this episode:

For over two years, the city of Bangor, ME, has been in the throes of a serious HIV outbreak, exacerbated by a combination of local political battles and negative perceptions of drug users and unhoused people. In this episode: Aneri Pattani, who has been reporting on this outbreak, discusses the challenges of tracking transmission and treating those infected, and how harm reduction measures might finally turn the tide.

Guests:

Aneri Pattani, MPH, is a senior correspondent at KFF Health News, where she focuses on mental health and substance use disorders.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

• An HIV Outbreak in Maine Shows the Risk of Trump's Crackdown on Homelessness and Drug Use—KFF Health News

• Penobscot County HIV Outbreak—Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention

• Rapid Assessment Amid an Injection Drug Use-Driven HIV Outbreak in Massachusetts' Merrimack Valley: Highlights from a Case Study—AIDS and Behavior

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