New budget proposal for ending U.S. HIV epidemic announced

The federal government is proposing $291 million in the FY2020 Health and Human Services budget to kick off a multi-year initiative focused on ending the HIV epidemic in America by 2030. This new initiative aims to reduce new HIV infections by 75 percent in the next 5 years and by 90 percent in the next 10 years, averting more than 250,000 HIV infections in that span, said the HHS in an announcement yesterday. The agency pointed to recent data showing that new HIV infections have plateaued but new threats, notably the current opioid crisis, demands attention as 1 in 10 new HIV infections occur among people who inject drugs.

Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, focuses on the following strategies:

• Diagnose all individuals with HIV as early as possible after infection.
• Treat the infection rapidly and effectively after diagnosis, achieving sustained viral suppression.
• Protect individuals at risk for HIV using proven prevention approaches.
• Respond rapidly to detect and respond to growing HIV clusters and prevent new HIV infections.

HHS has the release.