PrEP is helping bring down HIV infections – but a major hurdle still remains

Truvada is used for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a strategy in which healthy people routinely take antiretrovirals to reduce the risk of becoming infected with HIV.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The CDC says the HIV transmission rate among gay and bi men is continuing to fall in the US, thanks largely to drugs like PrEP and the science of U=U (Undetectable=Untransmittable). However, persistent health inequalities across the country are slowing progress.

There were 32,000 HIV diagnoses in the US in 2021, which represents a 12% drop from 2017. The figure was even more startling in young gay men. Those aged between 13 and 24 showed a 34% reduction in transmission rates.

The 2021 figure was an increase on 2020. However, experts think the 2020 figures were likely impacted by the Covid pandemic. They suggest some of those who might otherwise have been diagnosed in 2020 didn’t get tested until 2021.

However, there was a glaring disparity in the figures. Black and Hispanic gay men are far less likely to be prescribed PrEP.

Only 11% of Black people who could benefit from PrEP were prescribed it, compared with 20% of Hispanic people and 78% of White people.

The CDC notes, “The greatest…

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