The rate of HIV infections in the U.S. dropped by 20 percent over the past decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control that examines HIV trends from 2010-2014. But while some subsections of the American population have experienced dramatic improvements, others saw things get worse.
African Americans are far more likely to contract HIV than any other racial or ethnic group. The rate of infections for blacks was 49.4 per 100,000 people in 2014, compared to 18.4 for Latinos, 9.5 for American Indians, 6.2 for Asians and 6.1 for whites.
In contrast to AIDS-ravaged countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV infections are high among women and children, in the U.S., the virus predominantly affects gay men. Seventy percent of new diagnoses in 2014 were for gay men, Jonathan Mermin, director of the agency's STD division, told Reuters.
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But within the gay community, there are large disparities based on race and ethnicity. While infections dropped by 18 percent among white gay men, they increased by 24 percent among Latino gay men and by 22 percent among black gay men.
Most alarming was an 87 percent increase in infections among young black gay men –– those between the ages 13-24. The good news is that the increase leveled off in 2010 and has since declined. In fact, the overall increase in infections among black gay men has been steady since 2010.
The good news is that the rate of deaths from AIDS decreased among all racial and ethnic groups during the four year period.
Sex is the second greatest cause of HIV, accounting for 24 percent of new cases in 2014. That leaves only 6 percent of infections that can be attributed to non-sexual causes, such as intravenous drug use, accidents or blood transfusions.
Major disparities in infection rates persist between regions. At 18.5 infections per 100,000 people, the South is the most affected by HIV, followed by the Northeast (14.2), the West (11.2) and the Midwest (8.2).
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