*They will seek to reduce the number of HIV infections by 90% by 2030.
To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
As of 2018, there were 1,039,680 people living with HIV in the United States. That same year, 37,864 people were diagnosed with the disease. 76.4 percent of those residents were men and 23.6 percent were women. However, communities of color were the most affected, which reflects the ongoing inequities regarding the virus.
Thus, the percentage of people living with HIV, by race and/or ethnicity in 2018 was 40.6 percent among African Americans, 23.7 percent among Hispanics or Latinos, and 29.2 percent among Caucasians.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), despite overall progress in reducing new infections among gay and bisexual men, the HIV epidemic continued and was most severe among these groups in the African American and Latino communities.
However, he said, “with effective prevention and treatment tools at our disposal, the nation has a decades-long opportunity to end the domestic HIV epidemic and erase the disparities that stand out in HIV prevention and care.”
In a statement, CDC noted that it is working with partners through the federal initiative “Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US” to scale up key science-based HIV treatment and prevention strategies in innovative ways that equitably reach populations, with the goal of reducing the number of HIV infections by 90 percent by 2030.
He noted that from 2010 to 2019, the number of new HIV infections remained relatively stable among African-American gay and bisexual men – between 8,900 and 9,000 – and Hispanic or Latino men – between 6,800 and 7,900 – and decreased among white men, from 7,500 to 5,100.
"Unequal access to HIV prevention and treatment, higher levels of HIV in some communities, and systemic inequities drive these worrying trends," the agency stressed.
The new Vital Signs report, which commemorates World AIDS Day on December 1, shows that African American and Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men were less likely to be diagnosed with HIV, achieve viral suppression, or use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection, compared with their white counterparts.
By 2019, an estimated 83 percent of African American gay and bisexual men and 80 percent of Latino gay and bisexual men with HIV had been diagnosed, compared with 90 percent of white men.
Meanwhile, in that same sector, an estimated 62 percent of blacks and 67 percent of Hispanics or Latinos with a diagnosis of HIV infection had achieved viral suppression, while in whites it had been 74 percent.
The report also includes the most recent data, from 2017, on PrEP use among gay and bisexual men, showing that just 27 percent of black men and 31 percent of Hispanic or Latino men were using PrEP, compared with 42 percent of white men.
Although not nationally representative, data on PrEP use were collected from gay and bisexual men in 23 cities, where more than half of all people living with HIV in large urban areas reside.
HIV-related stigma — negative attitudes and beliefs about people with the disease — can also contribute to these disparities, the CDC said.
An analysis of data from the Medical Monitoring Project—a nationally representative survey of people diagnosed with HIV—found that black and Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men were more likely to report experiencing HIV-related stigma than the same white group.
For his part, President Joseph Biden said that while remarkable progress has been made in the 40 years since the first known case of AIDS, "this disease remains a serious public health challenge, and we join the international community in honoring and remembering more than 36 million people, including 700,000 Americans, who have tragically died from AIDS-related illnesses since the beginning of the epidemic."
In a statement released by the White House, the agency said the pandemic also disrupted HIV research and noted that there is still work to be done to achieve equitable access to HIV prevention, care and treatment in all communities, particularly for communities of color, adolescent girls and young women, and the LGBTQI+ community.
In light of this, he said, his Administration is launching an updated National Strategy against HIV/AIDS to reduce health inequities in new diagnoses and improve access to comprehensive, evidence-based HIV prevention tools.
“This updated strategy will make equity a cornerstone of our response and bring a whole-of-government approach to the fight against HIV,” he said.
He explained that his budget request includes $670 million to support the Department of Health and Human Services' "Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S." initiative, which aims to reduce HIV diagnoses and AIDS-related deaths.
"My Administration is committed to helping the world end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030," he said.
“Ending the HIV epidemic is within our reach and we are committed to finishing the job. On World AIDS Day, we rededicate ourselves to building on the progress of the past 4 decades; defending and promoting human rights; supporting research, science and evidence-based solutions; expanding access to housing, education and economic empowerment; and fighting stigma and discrimination.”
“No one living with HIV should suffer the undeserved blame and prejudice that many continue to experience. We must innovate and explore new ways to help address HIV/AIDS in communities here at home and around the world.”
You may be interested in: HIV and SARS-CoV-2: challenges to be overcome for migrants and Latinos
