annual report. Because of the increase in testing, it says many of those people diagnosed could have been living with the virus for years without knowing. It estimates there was an actual decrease in transmission of around 17%, but the rise in testing obscures this fact.Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.The demographic breakdown of that 2023 figure matches earlier years.
HIV continues to disproportionately impact ethnic minority communities. Forty-two percent (42%) of those diagnosed with the virus were Latino and 41% were Black. Sixty-nine percent (69%) were men who have sex with men.Thirty-nine percent (39%) lived in high- or very high-poverty ZIP codes.
The exception to this was Chelsea in Manhattan. It had the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses and is a historically queer-friendly neighborhood.Of those diagnosed with HIV, 88% went on to receive HIV care, and among those, 89% were virally suppressed.Speaking to the Gothamist, Dr. Sarah Braunstein, the assistant commissioner for the city’s health department’s Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV and STIs, said efforts need to be increased to remind people about HIV and to encourage testing.“We at the health department, and certainly our partners, are conscious and of and talking about the need to really redouble efforts to get HIV and sexual health services back on the minds of New Yorkers, remind them that the infrastructure exists, that services are available.”Braunstein said the number of White New Yorkers taking PrEP in recent years has continued to increase significantly.
However, the number of Black New Yorkers taking the medication has begun to level off. It’s one area where more work needs to be done.New York is not alone in seeing an increase.In London, UK, a city of a similar size to NYC, there were 1,543 new HIV diagnoses in 2023. That represents an 11% increase from 2022 and a 1% increase from 2019.
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