While experts cautioned that the low 2020 numbers should be viewed with caution — likely due to undercounting due to the pandemic, and in contrast to a long-term decline in new cases — the upward trend in 2021 and 2022 has caused alarm among HIV researchers and advocates.
NYC Council/John McCarten
A 2019 press conference outside City Hall on raising awareness about AIDS in the Latino community.
This article was originally published in English on July 29. Translated by Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.
According to the latest report According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of people diagnosed with HIV increased nationwide in 2022 — the most recent year for which data is available — especially among groups such as transgender women and Latino gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men.
Locally, New York City continues to show an overall downward trend in new HIV diagnoses, but among some racial and ethnic groups, that decline stalled in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the city.
While experts and officials alike have warned that the low numbers during 2020 should be taken with caution — a likely underreporting due to the pandemic — the upward trend in 2021 and 2022, both in the city and nationally, has caused alarm among HIV researchers and advocates.
According to him Ending the Epidemic According to the New York State HIV/AIDS Dashboard System (ETE), the statewide increase in HIV diagnoses among Latinos—from 571 cases in 2020, to 673 in 2021 and 830 in 2022—is more pronounced than among other racial and ethnic groups, which also experienced recent increases.
Ending the Epidemic Dashboard
New HIV diagnoses by year and racial and ethnic group in New York State.
“You can see the trend in New York and New York City is not going in the right direction,” said Denis Nash, executive director of the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH), which designed and developed the ETE Dashboard System.
In 2022, 1,624 people were diagnosed with HIV in New York City, and 83 percent of these were Latinx and Black New Yorkers.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) acknowledged that despite an overall decline from 2018 to 2022 among Latinos, they continue to be disproportionately represented among all people newly diagnosed with HIV, experiencing the second highest number after Black New Yorkers.
NYC Dept of Health & Mental Hygiene
“Our commitment to ending the epidemic is unwavering, and we know that all paths to achieving that goal are through equity,” DOHMH spokesman Patrick Gallahue said in an emailed statement. “We can only be successful when we focus our energies where the impact is greatest. This principle is reflected in the work we do every day.”
Both city and state health departments and experts contacted by City Limits pointed to barriers that continue to affect Latinos: HIV-related stigma, language barriers, limited access to health services, racism, xenophobia, socioeconomic factors and inadequate sexual health education.
“Addressing these multifaceted challenges requires a comprehensive approach that includes targeted education, culturally competent health services, and efforts to reduce stigma,” said Brandy Andrews, director of HIV and sexual health services at The Center.
“We need to promote inclusive HIV prevention strategies that focus on the needs of marginalized communities, ensuring that everyone can access timely and effective health care without fear or discrimination,” Andrews added.
In addition to these factors, the pandemic itself hit the entire health care system hard and continues to have ramifications. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) noted that pandemic-related effects such as behavioral changes, health care facility closures, and staff shortages continue to impact populations already disproportionately affected by HIV.
“Addressing persistent health inequities, social determinants of health, and racial disparities remains at the center of our focus as we move forward with efforts to end the epidemic in New York State,” a NYSDOH spokesperson said. “The Department remains committed to ensuring all New Yorkers have access to comprehensive, affirming sexual health and preventive services.”
In 2022, black New Yorkers represented the 22 percent of the city’s population, but accounted for 43 percent of all new HIV cases diagnosed, while Latinos made up 29 percent of all residents, but accounted for 40 percent of new diagnoses.
Both the state and city health departments said they operate programs designed to reach communities of color. The New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute (NYSDOH AI) provides funding to develop and improve comprehensive HIV and other programs. sexually transmitted infections (ITS), with special attention to communities of color (black, Latino, Native American, indigenous, and Asian populations).
NYSDOH said it also funds several strategies to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections, such as connecting people to testing and preventive measures like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
When asked, NYSDOH did not detail how much it spends on prevention, saying it is provided at the same time as a broad range of HIV, STI and sexual health services. In 2022, nationally only 4 percent of the nearly $30 billion in federal funding for HIV services went to prevention, according to reported Associated Press en junio.
The DOHMH also did not specify how much money it spends exclusively on HIV prevention, although it described recently developed initiatives that include prevention. For example, in 2021 it developed the Ending the HIV Epidemic Plan (Plan to End the HIV Epidemic) which identified priority populations, including Black and Latino men who have sex with men, Black and Latino women, and Black and Latino men and transgender women.
In fiscal year 2024, which ended in June, DOHMH awarded more than $11 million to organizations across the city that are part of the network. PlaySure 2.0which provides HIV and sexual health services in medical and non-medical settings.
In both the state and the city, young New Yorkers between the ages of 20 and 39 saw the highest number of new diagnoses in 2022. People in this age group accounted for 1,514 of the 2,318 new HIV diagnoses in the state. In the city, where people ages 20 to 39 make up just 30 percent of the population, they account for 1,514 of the 2,318 new HIV diagnoses in the state. two-thirds of new HIV diagnoses.
And just like nationwide, where the number of new HIV infections is rising among young gay Latinos, Latinos ages 20 to 39 had the highest number of new HIV cases in New York City in 2022 compared to any other group, accounting for 29 percent of all cases. And nearly 27 percent came from the same age group of Black residents.
“The state and the city are investing and are well positioned nationally,” said Daniel Castellanos, vice president of research and innovation for the nonprofit Latino Commission on AIDS. “What we see is a need for much more targeted and Latino-centered local efforts.”
DOHMH stressed that data for 2020 to 2022 reflect the impact of COVID-19 and should be interpreted accordingly and increases are likely to include deferrals of HIV testing in 2020.
According to city data, in 2022 about a quarter of new HIV diagnoses were detected among people who were born outside the country. Additionally, foreign-born Latinos experienced the highest number of new HIV diagnoses, accounting for 59 percent among people born outside the U.S. that same year.
Johnny Guaylupo, deputy director of the youth prevention services program at Housing Works, acknowledged these efforts but said more is needed, “especially with the influx of migrants that we have seen.” [desde 2022].”
In a similar trend, those between 20 and 39 years old represented the 62 percent of new diagnoses among foreign-born New Yorkers in 2022.
One of the biggest fears shared by both Castellanos and Gustavo Morales, director of the Oasis Community Pride Center, is that the data currently available shows what happened two years ago, meaning officials are reacting to old patterns and don’t know how trends behave today.
This year, DOHMH launched an updated campaign “Be HIV Sure” to promote HIV screening, prevention and care services through a new mobile text messaging number (55676), available in both English and Spanish, regardless of immigration status.
And in June the Department of Health also reissued its campaign “Summer of Sexual Health” (Summer of Sexual Health), initially introduced in July 2023, encouraging New Yorkers to access necessary sexual health services and directing them to the sexual health website of the city for information on low-cost or free care options, also available in English and Spanish.
With the presentation of the city’s final budget in late June, the Adams administration reversed cuts to HIV/AIDS programs announced in May, prompting the protest of the LGBTQ community.
The DOHMH said the information it collects through the HIV surveillance data The Department helps identify, design and implement programs, a process that also includes feedback from providers and the community. The Department also funds the Latino Commission on AIDS to partner with dozens of faith-based organizations to provide HIV outreach services in predominantly Spanish-speaking areas.
“To effectively engage Latino youth, it’s crucial to meet them where they already hang out,” Andrews says. “This means attending Latino events, setting up booths in community spaces like neighborhood centers and parks, and leveraging the social media platforms they use. By physically and digitally positioning ourselves where they are, we can start conversations about their interests and needs.”
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