WASHINGTON — The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in the nation’s capital has dropped 72 percent recently, but with more than 13,000 patients in D.C. living with HIV, it remains an epidemic.
“For the eighth year in a row, we have seen a decrease in Washington, D.C., in new HIV cases,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser, in a news conference at the District’s new Health and Wellness Center.
According to District public health officials, the number of new HIV cases has dropped from a high of 1,343 in 2007 to 371 in 2015.
“For another year, there were no babies born in Washington, D.C., with HIV,” said Bowser.
The District released a new plan to eliminate the epidemic called the “90/90/90/50 Plan.”
The plan includes four benchmarks, said Bowser.
“Ninety percent of all D.C. residents with HIV will know their status,” said Bowser. “Ninety percent of people diagnosed with HIV are on treatment.”
While there remains no cure for HIV/AIDS, under the new goals, “90 percent of persons on treatment will achieve a viral load suppression, which means the HIV is undetectable,” said Bowser.
The fourth goal is a 50 percent reduction in new HIV cases by the year 2020.
