HIV infection is reduced and PrEP is exhausted, but racial disparity persists

CDC’s latest National HIV Surveillance System Report, which surveys statistics from 2015 to 2019, renews attention to racial inequality in the HIV crisis, despite a new decline in HIV infection in the United States. Is collecting.

The results of a report released on May 27 show that HIV infection decreased by 8% between 2015 and 2019 after a “general stable period of new infections” across the country. Health experts attribute this advance to a reduction in new HIV infections in gay and bisexual men. This is even more so for younger queer men. New infections in men aged 13 to 24 were reduced by 33%. The overall decline is due to increased access to HIV prevention methods such as PrEP.

“The new data from the CDC is encouraging,” said Carl Schmid, secretary-general of the HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute, a group advocating affordable medicine for people living with HIV / AIDS and hepatitis. It was. “This shows that we are on the right track towards eradicating HIV. The use of PrEP has increased significantly, which is great news. We are investing more in HIV prevention, including PrEP, and viruses. If we can increase the number of people living with HIV with anti-retroviral drugs that suppress HIV, we can reduce the number of new infections. “

However, the young queer man of color is still disproportionately hit by a new case. Nearly 23% of people eligible for PrEP were prescribed in 2019, a significant increase from just 3% in 2015, but these numbers also show racial disparities. Compared to 63% of whites, 8% of blacks and 14% of Latinos who were eligible for PrEP were prescribed it.

In addition, in 2019, 66% of people diagnosed with HIV were suppressed by the virus, and there were racial differences in this area as well. According to the CDC, 61% of blacks living with HIV and 65% of Latino individuals were suppressed by the virus, compared to 71% of whites.

In a press release, the CDC said Blacks experience more than eight times the HIV prevalence than whites, while Latin people have nearly four times the HIV prevalence due to poor access to HIV treatment and prevention. In addition, the CDC emphasized the need for more resources to close these disparities and reach the goal of ending the HIV epidemic.

Transgender individual diagnoses increased overall between 2015 and 2019, but the increase was concentrated in people between the ages of 25 and 44. Transgender HIV diagnosis between the ages of 25 and 34 increased by 23% and 22%. HIV diagnosis surged among white transgender people between 2015 and 2019, while diagnosis was stable among black and Latin transgender people and diagnosed among Asians Decreased by 14%. Individual. However, researchers warned that the number of transgender individuals involved in the data is small.

last month, Proposed by the Biden administration Funding for HIV testing, prevention and treatment programs in the United States increased by $ 267 million, according to the government Request for discretionary funding. The president also called for a $ 46 million increase in Ryan White’s HIV / AIDS program and a $ 20 million increase in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Opportunity for AIDS Patients (HOPWA) program, HIV + hepatitis. The Institute of Policy said at a press conference. release.

According to Schmidt, presidential support is one of many steps to eradicating the HIV crisis.

“The decline in the last few years is a good start, but there is still a long way to go to end HIV,” Schmidt said. “We are pleased that the Biden administration continues to prioritize the eradication of HIV. With continued support and funding from Congress, we should see a further decline in HIV in the United States.”

To sign up for the Gay City News Email Newsletter, please visit: gaycitynews.com/newsletter..