Health officials say the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV in New York City has fallen below 2,000 for the first time since the city started keeping records in 2001.
According to 2018 HIV Surveillance Annual Report, 1,917 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in New York City in 2018. That’s down 11% from the 2,157 new diagnoses reported in 2017. It’s down a steep 67% from 2001.
City Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot says the city takes “a data-driven, sex-positive approach” to preventing new infections with the virus that causes AIDS.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson says the decline in new HIV cases is “truly something to celebrate.” But Johnson says there is “so much work to do” to further reduce HIV rates in the city.
