Nationally, HIV diagnoses declined nearly 20 percent, although progress has been uneven. Diagnoses among Latina women and white women declined steadily over the past decade (35 percent and 30 percent, respectively). However, there have been increases Latino men who are gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held the 2015 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, Dec. 6-9. Community leaders, clinicians, advocates, public health professionals and others assembled to strengthen and improve the national response to HIV. There, experts announced new data on disparities, trends, and uneven progress by ethnicity, race and region.

The conference shared data about promising developments within a number of communities: heterosexual, African American women, gay and bisexual men, and people who inject drugs. Also, there was a steady decline in diagnoses over the last decade among Latina women and white women. Simultaneously, there have been increases in HIV diagnoses for Latino men who are gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (24 percent from 5,492 to 6,829). However, diagnoses only increased 13 percent in more recent years, from 6,060 to 6,829. Steep increases occurred at a higher rate for young men black and Latino MSM (aged 13-24) than their white counterparts. Also, despite a small number of overall diagnoses, Asian American and Indian/Alaska Native MSM saw concerning increases.

"Although we are encouraged by the recent slowing of the epidemic among black gay and bisexual men -- especially young men -- they continue to face a disproportionately high HIV burden and we must address it," Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said in a statement. "Much more must be done to reduce new infections and to reverse the increases among Latino men. There is hope that the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and other efforts are beginning to pay off, but we can't rest until we see equal gains for all races and risk groups."

Overall, Latinos and African American, as well as whites, saw a decrease in diagnoses between 2005 and 2014, although decline stalled during the most recent five-year period for the U.S. Latino population. In 2014, Latinos accounted for 23 percent of all new HIV diagnoses, which is substantial, but significantly less than newfound diagnoses for the African American community, accounting for nearly half (44 percent) of all new HIV diagnoses.

Additional research shared at the conference concluded the death rates in some Southern states are three times higher than death rates in other parts of the nation, proving that the region lags behind when it comes to HIV detection and treatment. Approximately 70 percent of the worst-performing states are in the south. It's in these states where infected individuals aren't getting the medical care they need, and they're less likely to protect themselves for their sexual partners' sake. New York, Colorado, Hawaii, Connecticut and Delaware are the only states that reached the national goal of 90 percent awareness.

According to the CDC, there are now more tools to effectively prevent HIV transmission and acquisition. Increasing testing and access to behavioral interventions, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), condoms and treatment will save lives. It's determined that once an infected individual learns about their HIV status and look after their health, their partners are more likely to do the same. Those who test negative will have more information with which to protect themselves, and those who test positive are encouraged to seek medical care and treatment.

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