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Recent HIV infections declined modestly within the U.S. over a four-year period however the nation is removed from reaching its goal of ending the epidemic, in accordance with essentially the most recent data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
The overwhelming majority of people that face a high risk from the virus will not be receiving key medications to forestall infection because of deep racial disparities in access to treatment, in accordance with the CDC report.
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Infections declined 12% from 36,500 in 2017 to about 32,100 in 2021, the report said. The decline was driven by a 34% drop in recent HIV infections amongst 13- to 24-year-olds, in accordance with the information.
The U.S. has set a national goal to finish the HIV epidemic by reducing recent infections 90% by 2030.
However the nation shouldn’t be on the right track to fulfill that goal if progress continues at the present pace, Dr. Jonathan Mermin, head of the CDC’s national center for HIV and STD prevention, told reporters on a call Tuesday.
Gay and bisexual men in addition to Black and Hispanic communities face a better risk of infection because of racism, economic inequality, social marginalization and residential segregation, said Dr. Robyn Neblett Fanfair, a senior official within the CDC’s HIV prevention efforts.
About two-thirds of latest HIV infections reported in 2021 were amongst gay and bisexual men, with members of Black and Hispanic communities making up the overwhelming majority of latest cases on this group. About 40% of latest infections inside the gay community were amongst Black men and 35% were amongst Hispanic men, in accordance with the information.
Amongst heterosexual women, 60% of latest infections were amongst Black women. Amongst heterosexual men, about 61% of latest infections were amongst Black men, in accordance with the CDC. About 60% of intravenous drug users who were diagnosed with HIV in 2021 were white.
Greater than half of latest infections, 52%, were reported within the South.
Stark disparities in treatment
Only 30% of the 1.2 million individuals who faced the very best risk of HIV in 2021 took drugs to forestall infection called pre-exposure prophylaxis, in accordance with the CDC report. That percentage of individuals taking PrEP increased substantially, nonetheless, from 13% of the at-risk population in 2017.
U.S. health officials wish to increase the number of individuals taking PrEP to at the least 50% of the at-risk population by 2025, but there are stark racial disparities in treatment that must be addressed to be able to meet that goal.
Only 11% of Black people and 21% of Hispanics who’re prone to HIV infection received PrEP in 2021. In contrast, 78% of white people in danger were taking medication to forestall infection that very same yr.
The CDC is launching a campaign within the South focused on Black and Hispanic gay and bisexual men in an effort to assist close the gap on PrEP coverage, Neblett Fanfair said.
Access to PrEP is threatened by a recent ruling by a federal judge within the U.S. Northern District of Texas that struck down an Obamacare requirement that almost all private insurance coverage cover the medication. A federal appeals court has put that ruling on hold for now and temporarily reinstated coverage of those services.
Mermin declined to comment directly on the case but said he’s anxious about any situation that makes it harder for people to get HIV prevention services.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to pass $850 million to support efforts to finish the HIV epidemic within the U.S., a 48% increase over 2023 funding for the trouble. Biden’s request includes $237 million for a national PrEP program.
Stopping HIV infection is further complicated by the incontrovertible fact that about 1 in 8 individuals who have the virus do not know they have been infected, in accordance with the CDC.
Health officials aim by 2025 for 95% of individuals diagnosed with HIV to have reduced their viral load to undetectable levels through effective treatment. People diagnosed with HIV who’re virally suppressed can live healthy lives and won’t transmit the virus to their sex partners, in accordance with the CDC.
Overall, 66% of individuals in 2021 diagnosed with HIV had suppressed the virus through treatment, but there again remain stark racial disparities.
While 72% of white people diagnosed with HIV were virally suppressed, 62% of Black people and 64% of Hispanics diagnosed with HIV were virally suppressed.
