Background
The death rates for HIV patients have fallen by almost half from 2010 to 2017. In the study, CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the death rate fell from 9.1 to 4.7 (the number of deaths per 1,000 people), showing a decrease of 48%. The decline is seen in every group: women, men, racial and ethnic, and all ages. The HIV-death related rate is higher in African American groups, but the gap between their death rate and whites’ has declined by two-thirds in the seven-year period. Additionally, the study reports the death rate for Hispanic/Latinos was 7.9 in 2010 and decreased to 3.9 in 2017, the same rate as whites.
The Cause
Scientists infer the reduction of death rates in HIV patients was due to doctors diagnosing people and providing treatment earlier. Many HIV patients do not know they have contracted the disease and risk an earlier death, unhealthier lives, and spreading the disease. The earlier patients can maintain the disease, the more beneficial it is for the community as a whole.
The HIV epidemic continues
Still, the problem persists. There are more than 36,000 HIV transmissions annually and is the leading cause of death for people ages 25-44. The CDC says, “Although HIV-related death rates declined for all groups, this study shows that rates were highest among people of multiple races and African Americans compared to whites. In 2017, the HIV-related death rates were 7.0 among people of multiple races, 5.6 among African Americans, and 3.9 among whites.” Efforts need to be continually made to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in HIV transmission, increase earlier diagnosis and treatment, and suppress the mortality rate.
While the Covid-19 pandemic has created more uprisings in efforts to end HIV, the CDC has enforced new methods to continue prevention services. New strategies like “expanding the use of telemedicine to ensure people continue to receive HIV care and pre-exposure prophylaxis and the use of HIV self-test kits to help people get tested early and often” have been solutions that abide by the social distancing requirements and can help save lives across the country.
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