New federal surveillance data shows a striking decline in HIV infections among young men in the United States — a drop of 30% among males aged 13 to 24 between 2018 C.E. and 2022 C.E. The broader trend across all men showed a 12% decline over the same period, with the sharpest gains in the South and among Black men. Researchers point to expanded HIV testing, treatment access, and the growing use of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, as the likely drivers.
At a glance
- HIV infections in young men: Infections among males aged 13 to 24 fell by an estimated 30% from 2018 C.E. to 2022 C.E., the largest single-age-group decline in the CDC surveillance report.
- PrEP and treatment access: Over 80% of people diagnosed with HIV in 2022 C.E. accessed care within one month of diagnosis, and 65% achieved viral suppression — outcomes that researchers say help explain the downward trend.
- Regional HIV decline: The South, which carries a disproportionate share of the U.S. HIV burden, saw a 16% drop in new infections — the largest regional decrease in the country.
What the data shows
The figures come from the CDC HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report, which tracks new HIV infections across demographic groups. Among all men, the 12% overall decline between 2018 C.E. and 2022 C.E. was driven almost entirely by younger age groups. Men aged 25 to 64 saw no statistically significant change.
Black men experienced the largest racial decrease — an 18% drop in new infections. That number matters, but so does the context: Black men still account for the highest number of HIV infections of any group in the U.S. as of 2022 C.E. Progress is real, and so is the distance remaining.
A separate CDC study from 2023 C.E. found a similar pattern for the period 2017 C.E. to 2021 C.E., with a 12% overall decline again anchored by a steep fall among people aged 13 to 24. That report specifically named gay and bisexual men as the group driving the drop, and stated that “improved reach of HIV testing, treatment, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has contributed to progress in HIV prevention among young gay and bisexual males.”
Why PrEP may be turning the tide for young people
PrEP — a daily medication that reduces the risk of HIV transmission by up to 99% when taken consistently — has become a cornerstone of prevention efforts in the U.S. since its FDA approval in 2012 C.E. Uptake among young gay and bisexual men has risen steadily, and the new data suggest that public health campaigns aimed at this group are starting to show measurable results in infection rates.
Faster connection to care after diagnosis also plays a role. When someone living with HIV achieves viral suppression — meaning the virus is undetectable in their bloodstream — they cannot transmit it to sexual partners. The CDC’s finding that 65% of diagnosed individuals achieved viral suppression in 2022 C.E. reflects a health system that is, in some areas, working better than before.
Where progress is uneven
The good news is not evenly distributed. Among men aged 25 to 64, there was no change. And in a press statement, the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute noted that transgender women saw HIV diagnoses increase by 25% over a comparable period. Latino gay men now account for 39% of all HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men — a share that has grown, not shrunk.
“Disparities persist, particularly among gay men of all races and ethnicities, transgender women, Blacks, and Latinos,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute. He also pointed to flat federal funding for CDC HIV prevention programs and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS care and treatment program as a structural barrier. “Without significant increases for care and treatment, and prevention programs, including those for PrEP, sadly we will continue to experience only small drops in the number of new diagnoses, and racial and ethnic disparities will persist.”
Approximately 1.2 million people are currently living with HIV in the U.S. The CDC’s stated goal is a 90% reduction in HIV transmissions by 2030 C.E. At the current rate of decline, that target remains out of reach.
A generation that may end the epidemic
What makes the data on young people particularly significant is what it signals about the future. The 13-to-24 age group is, in a meaningful sense, a leading indicator. When new infections fall sharply among the youngest people entering sexual activity, it suggests that prevention tools are reaching them before exposure — not just treating infections after the fact.
UNAIDS data shows that global HIV infections have also fallen — by 59% since the peak in 1995 C.E. — driven largely by expanded treatment and testing access. The U.S. trend, while modest in scale, fits into a larger arc of progress that advocates have spent decades building.
The tools exist. The 30% drop among young men proves they can work. The challenge now is making them available — and affordable — for everyone who needs them.
Read more
For more on this story, see: LGBTQ Nation
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Alzheimer’s risk cut in half by drug in landmark prevention trial
- U.K. cancer death rates down to their lowest level on record
- The Good News for Humankind archive on global health
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