Trends in HIV Care Outcomes Among Black and Non-Black Females in 41 US Jurisdictions, 2017-2021

OBJECTIVES: From 2017 through 2021, the rate of HIV diagnoses among females aged ≥13 years declined by 12%. Despite efforts to reduce HIV infections, disparities persist. To understand and address differential health outcomes, the present study examined trends among non-Hispanic Black/African American and non-Black/African American females in the United States. METHODS: Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National HIV Surveillance System, we summarized HIV diagnoses and percentage distributions for linkage to HIV medical care within 1 month of diagnosis and viral suppression within 6 months of diagnosis among females aged ≥13 years in 41 US jurisdictions. We analyzed trends for non-Hispanic Black and non-Black (defined as all other races and ethnicities) females with HIV diagnosed from 2017 through 2021 (excluding 2020) by age, transmission category, region, and jurisdiction of residence using estimated annual percentage change. A trend was considered stable when the 95% CI for estimated annual percentage change included zero. RESULTS: From 2017 through 2021, 16 514 non-Hispanic Black females and 12 711 non-Black females received an HIV diagnosis. During these years, the rate of HIV diagnoses for non-Hispanic Black females decreased by 5.3%, linkage to care increased by 1.5%, and viral suppression increased by 1.6% per year, on average. For non-Black females, the rate of HIV diagnoses was stable, linkage to care increased by 0.8%, and viral suppression increased by 1.4% per year, on average. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight a decline in HIV diagnoses among non-Hispanic Black females with some improvement in HIV care outcomes. However, more efforts are needed to increase access to treatment and care services that are essential for improving health outcomes among adolescents and adult females, particularly those disproportionately affected by HIV.