The New York State Department of Health has released its annual HIV/AIDS surveillance report in recognition of World AIDS Day. The report provides data on residents newly diagnosed with HIV and those living with diagnosed HIV 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 2024 surveillance report, there has been a 36 percent decline in new HIV diagnoses from 2011 to 2024. Despite this overall progress, significant disparities remain among different demographic groups. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic individuals have rates of new diagnoses that are 9.2 and 5.4 times higher, respectively, than those for non-Hispanic White individuals.
The data also show that most new HIV diagnoses (69 percent) are among individuals under age 40, though one in six new cases occur in people over age 50. This finding highlights the importance of routine testing across all age groups.
In 2024, New York State met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition for elimination of perinatal HIV transmission for the eleventh time. It is also the first time that New York has achieved this milestone for ten consecutive years since launching its Ending the Epidemic initiative in 2014.
Efforts by community-based organizations, hospitals, health centers, and other partners have contributed to reversing long-term trends in HIV prevalence within the state. Since the start of Ending the Epidemic efforts in 2014, new diagnoses have dropped by 26 percent.
Progress towards these goals will be discussed at upcoming events on December 9 and 10 during the Department’s Ending the Epidemic Summit and World AIDS Day observances. At that time, updates will be made available through New York State’s Ending the Epidemic dashboard.
The Department’s AIDS Institute remains focused on eliminating transmission and supporting those affected by HIV, hepatitis C, sexually transmitted infections, drug use issues, or who identify as LGBTQ+.
