BANGOR — There are now 30 confirmed HIV cases in Penobscot County since October of 2023, according to this month’s update from the Maine CDC.

Officials said that makes it Maine’s largest outbreak.

“Previous to this outbreak, the Bangor area saw about two new cases a year,” said Bangor Public Health and Community Services Director Jennifer Gunderman. “So, now we’re at two-plus years, 30 cases that are known, and so what we have heard is that this is probably the largest outbreak in the state of Maine in the most recent history.”

And, next week, Gunderman said the U.S. CDC will be making a stop in Bangor to learn more about the outbreak.

“This is a significant outbreak, even when we look at it nationally,” said Gunderman. “And so, the federal CDC has come here to do some things that we don’t have the capacity to do right now. Like do some type of assessment to understand what’s working and not working.”

Since the start of the outbreak, Gunderman said there has also been a dramatic increase in testing, and Bangor Public Health is now offering case management services.

“So, this is a service that helps people who are newly diagnosed to get connected to services,” said Gunderman. “To have some stability and consistency in their life, to meet people where they’re at.”

However, Gunderman said the region is going to need more long-term systems in place to continue to address the issue.

“In terms of what this means for Penobscot County, I think this means we have to create a system to support people with HIV, in a way we never have before,” said Gunderman. “That’s going to take a lot of community partnerships, that’s going to take some investment, that’s going to take creativity, and really doing things in a little bit of a different way.”

Area nonprofits like Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness and Penobscot County Cares have also been connecting people with care and testing resources.

Visit bangorpublichealth.org to learn more about testing options.