In the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, new HIV diagnoses were reduced by 17%. This is a new report from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)found.
However, the decline in new cases may not be a celebration. In fact, experts are worried that thousands of people across the country are living with undiagnosed infections of the virus.
"Usually we will celebrate a 17% reduction in HIV diagnosis," Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC's HIV / AIDS Prevention Division (DHAP), told ABC News. ..
"We know that the 17% reduction is unlikely to be more than an artifact of the impact of COVID-19 on HIV testing, as something special happened in 2020.
In recent years, science has made great strides in HIV research with home tests and treatments that allow most people to lead longer and healthier lives, but still treatment. There is no law.
Home HIV tests are more accessible, but Daskalakis does not believe that these tests will compensate for the reduced access to tests during a pandemic.
Before the COVID-19 hit, the CDC estimated that more than a million people live with HIV, but about 13% were unaware.
Experts are worried that the percentage has skyrocketed.
Among the declines in reported cases, experts are also concerned that some of the sharpest declines in reported cases are in the group with the highest risk of HIV. I am. The
report notes that in addition to gay and bisexual men, HIV testing for men who have sex with men has decreased by 29%. Transgender people are reduced by 47%. Testing for blacks, Hispanics, and Latins decreased by 44% to 46%.
This decrease in HIV infections was caused by the continued increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)during the pandemic.
The CDC recommends that all people aged 13-64 years should be tested for HIV at least once in their lives, and those at high risk of exposure should be tested more often. doing.
"It's a really good time to rejuvenate and encourage everyone to be tested for HIV," says Daskalakis. "That's why it's so important to focus on the message of HIV testing and self-care as we approach theNational HIV Testing Day."
