The United States seems to be making progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. According to a new study, HIV diagnosis rates have significantly declined in recent years.
The study, released on Saturday by the Journal of American Medical Association shows the decline in diagnosis over a ten year span. It is now the longest running study of its kind.
In 2002, 24 out of every 100,000 people were diagnosed with HIV. In 2012, the number went down to 16 out of 100,000. It is not clear if the numbers reveal that less people are becoming infected or if the same people were already counted for and have not seen changes in their status.
All in all, the numbers are looking much better. Decreases were seen in virtually all major groups (blacks, whites, men, women, etc.) except for gay and bisexual men – where the rates were increasing.
To keep the numbers low and the diagnosis on a steady decline for the virus, the CDC has recommended a prevention plan. This plan includes taking prescription drugs to help reduce the risk of contracting the virus in an effort called ‘pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)’.
The rate of HIV infections successfully dropped by 1/3 and hopefully these numbers can continue to decrease in the United States, and globally with these preventative measures.
Photo credit: Oraquick