A recent report from the CDC tracking HIV trends in the U.S. from 2010 to 2016 shows that after five years of dramatic decline, the number of annual HIV infections leveled off in 2013 to a rate of approximately 39,000 new infections per year.  The CDC also examined HIV infections among various subgroups and found that the rate of new infections varied by race, ethnicity, and age.  Specifically, the rate of new infections remained stable among gay and bisexual men, accounting for nearly 70 percent of new infections.  Among this population, the rate of new infections remained constant for African Americans, increased 30 percent for Latinos, and decreased 16 percent for Caucasians.

According to the CDC, the decline in HIV infections has stalled because HIV prevention and treatment is not reaching the individuals that need it the most, particularly in rural areas and the South.  This report comes just weeks after President Trump announced his plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic within 10 years.  The national plan focuses on four key strategies:  diagnose HIV as early as possible, treat HIV rapidly and effectively, protect at-risk people with proven preventive measures, and respond rapidly to growing clusters of HIV infections.  In a CDC press release, CDC directors view the President’s strategy as a “historic opportunity to improve the precision of prevention” and note that “expanding efforts across the country will close gaps, overcome threats, and turn around troublesome trends.”