The New York State Department of Health has released its latest HIV/AIDS Annual Surveillance Report in conjunction with World AIDS Day. The report contains updated data on residents newly diagnosed with HIV and those living with diagnosed HIV in the state as of December 2024.
“While the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV in New York has fallen to historic lows, World AIDS Day is a reminder that more work must be done to continue to decrease new HIV infections,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. “To achieve these goals, we must eliminate health disparities and address the social determinants of health and persistent racial disparities to achieve our goal of Ending the Epidemic in New York State.”
According to the report, there has been a 36 percent decrease in new HIV diagnoses from 2011 to 2024. Despite this progress, significant disparities remain among different communities. The rate of new HIV diagnoses for non-Hispanic Black individuals was over nine times higher than for non-Hispanic White individuals, while Hispanic individuals had a rate more than five times higher than their non-Hispanic White counterparts.
Most new diagnoses—69 percent—were among people under age 40, but one out of every six newly diagnosed individuals was over age 50. This finding highlights the need for routine testing across all ages.
For the year 2024, New York met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s criteria for eliminating perinatal HIV transmission. This marks the eleventh time that New York has achieved this milestone and is also notable as it is the first time the state has met this target ten years in a row since starting its Ending the Epidemic initiative in 2014.
The department attributes its progress to collaborative efforts among community organizations, healthcare providers, and partners throughout the state. Since launching its Ending the Epidemic efforts in 2014, new diagnoses have decreased by 26 percent.
Metrics detailing further progress will be presented at upcoming events hosted by the Department on December 9 and 10, where an updated Ending the Epidemic dashboard will also be unveiled.
The Department’s AIDS Institute continues its focus on reducing transmission rates and improving health outcomes for people living with HIV and related conditions.
