PENOBSCOT COUNTY — The HIV outbreak in Penobscot County is continuing to grow.

There are now 35 confirmed cases since October of 2023, according to the most recent update from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

That makes five new cases since the beginning of December. Normally, the county sees only two new cases per year.

Ninety-five percent of all cases have been linked to injection drug use within one year of diagnosis. Meanwhile, 89% of people who tested positive for HIV were unhoused within one year of diagnosis, according to the Maine CDC.

Officials previously told Spectrum News this is likely Maine’s largest HIV outbreak in history.

Community organizations and the city of Bangor have ramped up testing efforts dramatically since the start of the outbreak.

In addition, federal CDC staff visited the county just last month to learn more about the outbreak.

Visit bangorpublichealth.org to learn about testing options.