The future of HIV: challenges in meeting the 2030 Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US (EHE) reduction goal.

OBJECTIVES

To predict the burden of HIV in the United States (US) nationally and by region, transmission type, and race/ethnicity through 2030.

METHODS

Using publicly available data from the CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus dashboard, we generated 11-year prospective forecasts of incident HIV diagnoses nationally and by region (South, non-South), race/ethnicity (White, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American), and transmission type (Injection-Drug Use, Male-to-Male Sexual Contact (MMSC), and Heterosexual Contact (HSC)). We employed weighted (W) and unweighted (UW) n -sub-epidemic ensemble models, calibrated using 12 years of historical data (2008-2019), and forecasted trends for 2020-2030. We compared results to identify persistent, concerning trends across models.

RESULTS

We projected substantial decreases in incident HIV diagnoses nationally (W: 27.9%, UW: 21.9%), and in the South (W:18.0%, UW: 9.2%) and non-South (W: 21.2%, UW: 19.5%) from 2019 to 2030. However, concerning nondecreasing trends were observed nationally in key sub-populations during this period: Hispanic/Latino persons (W: 1.4%, UW: 2.6%), Hispanic/Latino MMSC (W: 9.0%, UW: 9.9%), people who inject drugs (PWID) (W: 25.6%, UW: 9.2%), and White PWID (W: 3.5%, UW: 44.9%). The rising trends among Hispanic/Latino MMSC and overall PWID were consistent across the South and non-South regions.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the forecasted national-level decrease in the number of incident HIV diagnoses is encouraging, the US is unlikely to achieve the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US goal of a 90% reduction in HIV incidence by 2030. Additionally, the observed increases among specific subpopulations highlight the importance of a targeted and equitable approach to effectively combat HIV in the US.