Chicago health officials are reporting a 15% decrease in residents newly diagnosed with HIV in 2017 compared to one year earlier, according to a Chicago Department of Public Health’s (CDPH)  2017 HIV/STI Surveillance Report.

An artist's rendition of HIV (foreground). The knobs (purple) covering the virus are sugar-protein molecules, including gp120, that shield the rest of the virus (pink). Image/National Cancer Institute
An artist’s rendition of HIV (foreground). The knobs (purple) covering the virus are sugar-protein molecules, including gp120, that shield the rest of the virus (pink).
Image/National Cancer Institute

“This report shows that we can achieve our goal of eliminating HIV within one generation,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “We are working to ensure that HIV becomes a thing of the past, while also ensuring that those individuals living with HIV/AIDS have access to the resources needed to live long, healthy lives.”

In 2017, only 752 residents newly diagnosed with HIV compared to 839 in 2016, and down 60% from 1,850 in 2001, the height of new HIV diagnoses in the city. This is the fewest new diagnosis since 1989.

The continued progress in HIV prevention follows CDPH’s investments to promote and increase access to the latest medical treatments for HIV prevention and care.

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While Chicago has seen steady declines in overall HIV diagnoses over the past 16 years, the report also shows that disparities remain and where CDPH can target additional support services for residents:
  • There were 5.1 times as many new HIV diagnoses among men than among women.
  • In 2017, individuals aged 20-29 years old were the most frequently diagnosed population group, representing 38% of all new HIV diagnoses.
  • Non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks were the most frequently diagnosed population, representing 54.8% of new HIV diagnoses.
  • Compared with other HIV transmission groups, there were 3.9 times more new HIV diagnoses among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) than those reporting heterosexual transmission and 19.3 times more new HIV diagnoses than those reporting transmission associated with injection drug use.