HIV cases have declined in recent years, largely driven by fewer cases among young people, a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found.
Estimated annual infections were 12% lower in 2021 (32,100 cases) compared to 2017 (36,500 cases), according to data released Tuesday of this week.
The biggest drop was in the 13 to 24 age group, which had a 34% reduction in new infections (6,100 in 2021, up from 9,300 in 2017).
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This decline was especially seen in gay and bisexual men, who account for 80% of HIV infections in that age group, the CDC noted. That group marked 4,900 infections in 2021, up from 7,400 in 2017.
CDC recognizes progress, calls for more efforts
“Our nation’s HIV prevention efforts continue to move in the right direction,” said Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, director of the CDC in Washington DCin a statement on the agency’s website.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}HIV cases have declined in recent years, largely driven by fewer cases among young people, according to CDC data. (iStock)
“However, long-standing factors, such as systemic inequality, social and economic marginalization and housing segregation, stand between highly effective HIV treatment and prevention and people who could benefit from it,” she continues.
“Efforts must be accelerated and strengthened to make progress to reach all groups faster and more equitably.”
“The decline in HIV incidence among young people, including young gay and bisexual men, shows us what’s possible.”
The CDC credits have expanded access to HIV testing, treatment, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to advance the prevention of HIV infection in young gay and bisexual men.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(PrEP is a prescription drug that can reduce a person’s chance of contracting HIV through sex or using injection drugs.)
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Knowledge about HIV infections increased from 42% to 56%, while prescribing of PrEP increased from 8% to 20%.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Despite the overall progress that has been made, those data indicate that progress is not uniform across groups.
“There is increased awareness of HIV status and PrEP use, but it’s not across the board,” said Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical officer.
The CDC credits have expanded access to HIV testing, treatment, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to advance the prevention of HIV infection in young gay and bisexual men. (iStock)
“Racial inequalities persist, with much higher incidence among the black and Latino population, as well as poverty and mistrust of the medical establishment in minority communities,” Dr. Siegel also to Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Compared with young white gay and bisexual men, the decline in HIV infection rates was lower among young black and Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men, according to data from the CDC.
Among white men in the group, there was a 45% reduction in infections.
“The ignorance and stigma that have characterized this disease continue to get in the way.”
The decrease was 36% for Hispanic/Latino men and only 27% for Black men.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In terms of PrEP data, only 11% of eligible black people received prescriptions for it, compared to 21% of Hispanic/Latino people and 78% of whites.
Of the new infections in 2021, the majority affected gay and bisexual black men and Hispanic/Latino men, followed by white men.
Even among the smaller subgroup of women who were infected, more than half were black, the data showed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PrEP is a prescription drug that can reduce a person’s chance of contracting HIV through sex or injecting drugs. (iStock)
Despite the overall decline, Dr. Robyn Neblett Fanfair, acting director of the CDC’s division of HIV prevention, said at least three people in the US are still getting HIV every hour — even with the prevalence of prevention and treatment options.
“These tools need to reach deep into communities and be delivered faster to extend progression from some groups to all groups,” says Fanfair, based in Atlanta, Georgia, said in the statement from the CDC.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}To achieve this, Fanfair called for increased investment in HIV prevention programs, expanding the availability of self-testing and providing HIV prevention interventions to those most affected by the virus.
“The decline in HIV incidence among young people, including young gay and bisexual men, shows us what’s possible,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said in a statement about the agency. website.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“But ending the HIV epidemic and achieving justice requires that we extend these advances to everyone.”
Dr. Siegel added to Fox News Digital, “HIV is manageable through education, testing and PrEP, but the ignorance and stigma that have always characterized this disease unfortunately continue to get in the way.”