New HIV infections in the U.S. fell more than 10% in five years with a 34% decrease in new cases among young gay and bisexual men, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., according to the report. While the overall number of new cases per year dropped from 36,500 in 2017 to about 32,100 in 2021 — or 12% — the number of new diagnoses among gay and bisexual men between 13 and 24 dropped around 34% from an estimated 7,400 infections to about 4,900 during that timeframe.
Health officials credit the decline to an increase in HIV testing and access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an FDA-approved drug that reduces the risk of contracting HIV by about 99%.
