Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America is a ten-year federal initiative from the United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) with the goal of reducing new HIV infections to less than 3,000 per year by 2030. The first phase of the plan will focus efforts and resources in 48 counties, plus San Juan, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, where more than half of all new HIV diagnoses occurred in 2016 and 2017, along with seven states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina) with a substantial rural HIV burden. The nation’s renewed focus on tackling the HIV epidemic complements a growing number of city, county, and state “Ending the Epidemic” plans that have been launched across the country.
Seeking to end HIV in the United States by 2030, the initiative’s goals include reducing new HIV diagnoses by 75% by 2025 and by at least 90% by 2030, as well as increasing the use of existing prevention methods, such as PrEP, in populations that need it most, including and especially communities of color.
In support of this nationwide effort, AIDSVu today released new tools and resources for public health officials, researchers, policymakers, and community members to help inform their ending the epidemic efforts. These additional resources include:
- A Deeper Look: Ending the Epidemic page, which provides an overview of the national plan, its goals and focus, as well as insights on areas targeted by the plan.
- County-level profiles for the 48 counties with the highest burden of new HIV diagnoses that are being targeted by the initiative.
- City-level profiles, including the cities targeted by the plan: Washington, DC, and San Juan, PR.
- State-level profiles, including the seven states with a substantial rural HIV burden being targeted by the initiative.
- Regional-level profiles for the four U.S. regions as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, including the South which is home to 48% of the counties targeted by the initiative.
- A national profile outlining the HIV burden across the nation.
- Additional infographics on the national plan’s key strategies and other state and local jurisdictional plans to end the HIV epidemic.
These resources add to infographics that AIDSVu released earlier this year, which highlight insights from the plan like:
- Of the 48 highest-burden counties targeted by the initiative, 48% are in the South.
- In 67% of the 48 target counties and DC, the percent of people living in poverty is higher than the national average.
- Most of the 48 target counties fall in states with a high unmet need for PrEP.
AIDSVu also plans to release additional resources and blog Q&As with key government leaders for the plan in the coming months.
Visualizing HIV-related data helps people understand that where you live matters when it comes to HIV. Click here to learn more about how HIV impacts the U.S. and the nation’s efforts to eliminate HIV.
