Understanding the riskswhere HIV is more common and less commoncan help you navigate the risk and reduce the odds.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
How Common Is HIV Today?
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HIV Prevalence in the U.S. That translates to an HIV prevalence of roughly 0.4%.
This doesnt mean that wherever you go in the U.S., the risk will be the same.
In dense urban populations, the risk of infection is greater, whether the infection is HIV orCOVID-19.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
But other factors weigh in as well, not least of which include poverty and access to quality healthcare.
The South is of special concern.
Global HIV Prevalence
The same factors that drive pandemics here in the U.S. also drive pandemics abroad.
This is especially true in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 25.7 million people currently live with HIV.
What Are the Odds of Getting HIV?
If all things were equal, a 0.3% HIV prevalence might seem relatively low.
But clearly, different factors influence the risk of HIV from one group to another.
As a result, younger people who are generally more sexually active are at greater risk.
Further fueling the transmission risk is the high rate of undiagnosed infections among teens and young adults.
MSM also represent the largest single population of people living with HIV, with numbers exceeding 739,000 in 2022.
Biological vulnerabilities also factor into the increased rates of infection among heterosexual women.
Irrespective of what the statistics say, it is possible to get infected with only a single exposure.
By Race
Race and HIV are integrally linked.
By contrast, Whites represent 60.1% of the U.S. population and account for only 323,000 infections.
With modern antiretroviral therapies, this is possible.
Arguably, the greater challenge is avoiding infection if youre in a casual relationship or have multiple partners.
Some populations are at higher risk of contracting HIV.
Gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men have the highest rates of HIV transmission.
Among age cohorts, rates of new HIV infections are highest for people aged 25 to 34.
By race, Blacks have the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses.
Anal sex is the most common route of HIV transmission.
The use of a barrier such as a condom or a dental dam can make the risk even lower.
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