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%.
But, while the overall number gives the CDC hope in the fight to eradicate the epidemic that has killed approximately 38 million people worldwide, a significantly lower decline in new infections among Black and Latinx men suggests HIV treatment and prevention efforts are not reaching everyone equally.
Overall, the use of PrEP among those who could benefit from it significantly increased in five years. In 2017, only about 13% of individuals who could benefit from the medication were able to access it. That number jumped to approximately 30% in 2021, driven by a massive uptake among white individuals.
But Black men and Latinos, communities that have been historically most impacted by HIV, lagged far behind.
In 2021, around 78% of white people who could benefit from PrEP had access, compared to 11% of Black people and 21% of Latinx individuals.
“It appears that our investments in HIV prevention are providing some positive results, but the persistent high number of new diagnoses and the low usage of PrEP among the communities most impacted by HIV point to the need for increased resources, particularly for a national PrEP program,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute.
While praising the nation’s HIV prevention efforts, which “continue to move in the right direction,” CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said “systemic inequities, social and economic marginalization and residential segregation,” stand in the way of further progress.
“Efforts must be accelerated and strengthened for progress to reach all groups faster and equitably,” she said.
“Decreasing HIV incidence among youth, including young gay and bisexual males, shows us what is possible,” said Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “But ending the HIV epidemic and achieving equity requires we expand this progress to all,” added Mermin — who has been criticized by HIV rights advocates in the past for failing to make advances in HIV treatment accessible to those who needed it.
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy, a plan released by the federal government in August 2022 that details efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. by 2030 includes a 75% reduction in new HIV infections by 2025 and a 90% reduction by 2030.
