The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a letter Friday it is ready to help with Kanawha County’s HIV outbreak if directed by the state. The letter comes as a response to the Kanawha County Commission’s call for a federal inquiry into the county’s “most concerning” HIV outbreak and how the designation was determined. Commissioners sent the request to the West Virginia’s U.S. senators on Monday. The CDC said in the letter that it recognizes the hard work and dedication of staff from Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, Charleston Area Medical Center, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, and multiple local organizations working on the outbreak. There have been more than 50 new HIV diagnoses among people who inject drugs living in Kanawha County since the start of 2019, including 35 new HIV diagnoses in 2020.