December 10, 2008

HIV Transmission Rate Drops to 5% in U.S.

Only 5 percent of HIV-positive Americans today will transmit the virus to a negative person in any given year—compared with 44 percent in 1984—according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and reported on by Reuters.

Prevention efforts and advancements in HIV medications influenced the drop, according to the study published December 9.

“I think it’s really the result of the combination—HIV prevention efforts that include HIV testing, prevention programs for people who are living with HIV and those who are at risk for HIV as well as the effects of HIV treatment that have prolonged the lives of so many people living with HIV,” said Richard Wolitski, acting director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. “These data show that people living with HIV are taking steps to be responsible and protect others.”

However, Wolitski noted that new infections are increasing among African Americans, Latinos and men who have sex with men (MSM).

“The fight against HIV is far from over,” he said.

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