TREMENDOUS PROGRESS MADE IN HIV, BUT SERIOUS DISPARITIES REMAIN

published on February 23, 2016 by Douglas M. Brooks, MSW, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, in blog.AIDS.gov

This week, I’m in Boston for the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). It’s one of the premier scientific meetings where we hear the latest research in HIV prevention and treatment. Last year, for example, researchers presented undeniable evidence that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective in preventing HIV infection in real-world settings. These findings were a game changer and led to our decision to cite PrEP as one of the four pillars of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 [PDF 2,230 KB]. Just yesterday, researchers highlighted data on the use of a vaginal ring containing PrEP medication, noting that it shows promise for overcoming difficulties with adherence to PrEP.

Today at CROI, our colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data on viral suppression and new estimates for lifetime risk of HIV diagnosis. The data on viral suppression illustrate solid progress we’ve made over the past years, noting that from 2009 to 2013, the proportion of people receiving HIV care who were virally suppressed increased from 72% to 80%.

For the first time, estimates of lifetime risk of HIV diagnosis were shown by state and risk group. There is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the analysis found that lifetime risk of HIV diagnosis in the U.S. is now 1 in 99, an improvement from a previous analysis that reported overall risk at 1 in 78.

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TREMENDOUS PROGRESS MADE IN HIV, BUT SERIOUS DISPARITIES REMAIN

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