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In accordance with the most recent data published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
The CDC report found that the overwhelming majority of people who are at high risk for the virus are not receiving key medications to forestall infection as a consequence of deep racial disparities in access to treatment.
In accordance with the report, the variety of infections fell by 12% from 36,500 in 2017 to around 32,100 in 2021. In accordance with the information, the decrease was as a consequence of a 34% decrease in recent HIV infections amongst people aged 13 to 24.
The US has set a national goal of ending the HIV epidemic by reducing recent infections by 90% by 2030.
However the nation is not on the right track to achieve that goal if progress continues at its current rate, Dr. Jonathan Mermin, head of the CDC’s national HIV and STD prevention center, told reporters.
Gay and bisexual men, in addition to black and Hispanic communities, are at higher risk of infection due to racism, economic inequality, social marginalization and residential segregation, said Dr. Robyn Neblett Fanfair, CDC’s senior HIV Prevention Officer.
About two-thirds of latest HIV infections reported in 2021 were in gay and bisexual men, with members of the Black and Hispanic communities making up the overwhelming majority of latest cases on this group. In accordance with the information, about 40% of latest infections within the gay community were amongst black men, and 35% amongst Hispanics.
Amongst heterosexual women, 60% of latest infections were in black women. In accordance with the CDC, amongst heterosexual men, about 61% of latest infections were in black people. About 60% of injecting drug users diagnosed with HIV in 2021 were Caucasian.
Greater than half of the brand new infections, 52%, were reported within the south.
Clear disparities in treatment
In accordance with a CDC report, only 30% of the 1.2 million people who were most at risk of HIV infection in 2021 were taking medications to forestall infection called pre-exposure prophylaxis. Nonetheless, the proportion of people taking PrEP has increased significantly from 13% of the population at risk in 2017 to 13% in 2017.
US health officials need to increase the variety of people taking PrEP to at least 50% of the at-risk population by 2025, but there are major racial disparities in treatment that must be addressed to achieve that goal.
Only 11% of Blacks and 21% of Hispanics who are at risk of HIV infection received PrEP in 2021. Conversely, 78% of at-risk Caucasians were taking anti-HIV drugs in the identical 12 months.
The CDC is launching a campaign within the South focused on black and Hispanic gay and bisexual men to assist bridge the gap in PrEP coverage, Neblett Fanfair said.
Access to PrEP is jeopardized by a recent ruling by a federal judge within the Northern District of Texas within the US that removed the Obamacare requirement that most private insurance coverage cover the drugs. A federal appeals court suspended that ruling in the meanwhile and temporarily restored coverage of those services.
Mermin declined to comment directly on the matter, but said he was concerned about any situation that hinders people’s access to HIV prevention services.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to offer $850 million to support efforts to finish the HIV epidemic within the US, a 48% increase over 2023 funding. Biden’s demand includes $237 million for the country’s PrEP program.
In accordance with the CDC, stopping HIV infection is further complicated by the undeniable fact that about 1 in 8 people infected with the virus do not know they’ve been infected.
Health officials aim to have 95% of people diagnosed with HIV reduce their viral load to undetectable levels by 2025 with effective treatment. In accordance with the CDC, people diagnosed with HIV can live healthy lives and not transmit the virus to their sexual partners.
Overall, 66% of those diagnosed with HIV in 2021 suppressed the virus through treatment, but again there are clear racial differences.
While 72% of white people diagnosed with HIV were virally suppressed, 62% of blacks and 64% of Hispanics diagnosed with HIV were virally suppressed.