New HIV diagnoses ticked up in New York City in 2024, unsettling public-health experts who had grown used to years of steady declines. The city recorded 1,791 new cases last year, a 5.4% rise from 2023, and the increase is landing just as key federal dollars for HIV prevention and treatment are on the chopping block.
According to the New York City Health Department, its 2024 HIV Surveillance Annual Report shows 1,791 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2024, a 5.4% bump over the previous year. The department also estimates that new infections rose by roughly 17% during the same period, a shift officials say could mark a stall in the city’s long-running push to end the epidemic at the very moment federal support for testing, treatment and prevention is under threat.
City Officials Say Gains Are Flatlining
Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse said the city has "made immense progress" over the past three decades but warned that "this progress has stalled" as new diagnoses climb and federal budget proposals put prevention programs at risk, according to the New York City Health Department. The report underscores that social drivers such as housing instability and lack of insurance continue to shape who is most at risk of contracting HIV.
Experts Push For Testing And Prevention Blitz
Doug Wirth, president and CEO of AmidaCare, spoke with NY1 anchor Shannan Ferry about how New York can drive those numbers back down. Their conversation zeroed in on the need for coordinated outreach and support tailored to people who are not currently in care, with an emphasis on making it easier to get tested, start treatment and stay connected to services.
Who Is Getting Hit Hardest
Public-health analyses show the burden is falling most heavily on Black and Latino New Yorkers and residents of high-poverty neighborhoods: roughly 44% of new diagnoses were among Black New Yorkers and 41% among Latino New Yorkers, while about 42% of people newly diagnosed lived in high- or very-high-poverty ZIP codes, according to Healthbeat. Analysts also point to pandemic-era disruptions in HIV testing, uneven access to PrEP, and basic needs like housing and insurance coverage as likely contributors. They warn that proposed federal cuts could strip more than $41 million in prevention funding from the city.
What Advocates Say Needs To Happen Now
City officials and community groups say reversing the rise will require a full-court press: expanding low-barrier testing, broadening access to PrEP, offering same-day treatment starts and investing in housing and insurance support so people can stay consistently in care. With federal money hanging in the balance, advocates are urging both local and federal leaders to protect prevention programs and shore up the services they say are essential to keeping New Yorkers healthy.
