The number of new HIV infections is down significantly in the U.S., according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. saw 12 percent fewer new HIV infections in 2021 as compared to 2017—a trend driven by a 34 percent decline in cases among 13- to 24-year-olds, particularly gay and bisexual males, the CDC said. The data shows progress in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which the agency attributes to improved HIV testing, treatment and prevention measures, such as PrEP. Decreases have been slower, however, for Black and Hispanic gay and bisexual men. “Our nation’s HIV prevention efforts continue to move in the right direction,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “Longstanding factors, such as systemic inequities, social and economic marginalization and residential segregation, however, stand between highly effective HIV treatment and prevention and people who could benefit from them.”
