Many people may think the U.S. got HIV cases under control after the 1980s epidemic that claimed over 100,000 lives, but tens of thousands of new cases are diagnosed each year – and Black women in the South are now most at risk, according to USA Today.
There were more than 39,000 HIV cases diagnosed in the U.S. in 2023, and of these 81% were men, 38% were Black and 51% lived in the South. Black women in the U.S. made up half of the diagnoses in women, though they only make up 13% of the female population.
Limited access to prevention resources, slashing of federal health funding and expensive out-of-pocket insurance costs have contributed to the rise in cases in Black women, according to experts. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) medications such as Truvada and Descovy, used by HIV negative people to reduce risk, can run in the tens of thousands of dollars without insurance coverage.
“We’re in a really interesting inflection point, because we’ve had amazing strides in addressing the HIV epidemic in the United States,” Athena Cross, vice president and chief program officer at AIDS United, told USA Today. But, she added, “I think some of that will be eroded given where we are with our current emphasis and deterioration of our public health infrastructure.”
At its peak, the epidemic of the 80s, which predominantly affected gay men, saw about 130,000 HIV cases a year. That number has significantly decreased, but experts say the concentration of HIV cases in the South have resulted from a lack of reliable sex education — as well as persistent anti-LGBTQ+ stigma — that’s specific to those communities, which makes it easier for HIV to spread.
Fewer hospitals and health care providers in the rural South also have compounded the problem.
“HIV is not an evenly distributed virus,” said Rashad Burgess, vice president of corporate responsibility at Gilead Sciences. “It really does impact some of the most vulnerable communities. And that was true four decades ago, and it’s still true today.”
Masonia Traylor, a 23-year-old from Georgia, found out she was HIV positive even though she’d been tested and stayed on top of her health. She decided to go public with her diagnosis to reduce the stigma of shame. She’s now the CEO and founder of nonprofit Lady BurgAndy Inc., which helps women and young people affected by HIV/AIDS.
“I cannot carry this fear or this guilt,” she told USA Today. “Like, I didn’t do anything wrong, they didn’t do anything wrong.”
