CDC Report Highlights HIV Disparities in U.S.

This week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report finding that despite overall progress in reducing HIV transmission in the United States, HIV continues to impact some groups more than others due to “longstanding and ingrained barriers.” Black and African American people account for a higher proportion of new HIV infections compared to other races and ethnicities. Black people accounted for 13 percent of the U.S. population but 40 percent of people with HIV in 2019, according to the CDC.

The CDC points to racism, longstanding systemic inequities, social and economic marginalization, residential segregation, unequal reach of HIV prevention and treatment, and higher levels of HIV in some communities among the factors that have contributed to troubling and persistent racial and ethnic disparities in HIV.

The report further determined that 52 percent of Black adults with diagnosed HIV resided in areas in the country with higher Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) scores – often residentially segregated communities comprised predominately of Black people. The report underscores the continuing, urgent need to address social determinants that contribute to disparities and better deliver HIV prevention and care to people who need it most.

Additional information, including the full CDC report, is available here.