New HIV Cases Higher Among Young Adults, People Of Color
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – State health officials announced Wednesday that new reports of HIV/AIDS in Minnesota show certain populations contracting the virus more than others, such as young adults in the Twin Cities, people of color and those who use intravenous drugs.
The Minnesota Department of Health says that while the total number of HIV diagnoses last year (294) was slightly lower than the number from 2014 (306), particular groups saw a significant amount of the new cases.
For instance, 58 percent of newly reported cases in 2015 were from people of color. Among women, more than half of all new cases were from African-born individuals, officials said. For men, more than a fourth of all new cases were from African-American individuals.
Those using intravenous drugs saw a spike in new cases, increasing by 86 percent. While they only accounted for 26 of the new 2015 cases, they mostly occurred with young white men in the Twin Cities and with gay men.
The number of young adults who contracted the virus jumped significantly, accounting for more than a third of the total number of new cases. Officials say that HIV cases among people in their 20s climbed 24 percent, with most cases occurring in the metro, among people of color and gay men.
Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Ed Ehlinger says the communities seeing higher HIV rates are those with limited access to HIV testing and longstanding social, medical and income disadvantages.
Health officials say HIV infection is highly preventable and that sexually active individuals can avoid it best by always using condoms, limiting their number of sexual partners and not sharing needles.
For those at a substantial risk of getting HIV – such as people with a high number of sexual partners or intravenous drug users – it's suggested they take a daily prevention pill known as a PrEP. The pill can be obtained through health care providers and the Minnesota AIDS Project.
A yearly HIV screening is recommended for anyone who's had unprotected sex, a new sexual partner or has shared needles.
Officials say that since the AIDS epidemic broke out in the 1980s, there's been more than 11,000 cases reported in Minnesota. An estimated 8,215 people live with AIDS in the state.
