HIV in the southern United States

In the decades since the first AIDS cases were reported in Los Angeles and New York City in 1981, the epicenter of the nation\ue2\u20ac\u2122s HIV epidemic has shifted from urban centers along the coasts to the 16 states and District of Columbia that make up the South. The South now experiences the greatest burden of HIV infection, illness, and deaths of any U.S. region, and lags far behind in providing quality HIV prevention and care to its citizens. Closing these gaps is essential to the health of people in the region and to our nation\ue2\u20ac\u2122s long-term success in ending the epidemic.cdc-hiv-in-the-south-issue-brief.pdfStrengthening Prevention and Care in the Nation\ue2\u20ac\u2122s Most-Affected Region -- State of the HIV Epidemic in the South -- Factors Driving the Southern HIV Epidemic -- Reducing the South\ue2\u20ac\u2122s HIV Burden through High-Impact Prevention -- Critical for States to Improve Performance