Data For Impact

CDC’s HIV Prevention Progress Report provides a complete picture of progress on key HIV prevention and care goals for the nation and each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The HIV care continuum is a public health model that outlines the stages that people with HIV go through from diagnosis to achieving and maintaining viral suppression (a very low or undetectable amount of HIV in the body). Outcomes along the care continuum can vary by region and population; populations and regions with poor outcomes along the care continuum signal key gaps in prevention and care.

National HIV surveillance data are critical for tracking progress against HIV, targeting prevention efforts, and helping people with HIV get into care and treatment to remain healthy and prevent new infections. To use these data, it is critical to understand three related, but distinct, concepts: HIV diagnoses, incidence, and prevalence.

This fact sheet explains the various approaches and data used to develop the HIV care continuum, how it is used to improve outcomes for people living with HIV in the United States and how it helps guide the nation’s response to HIV.

Thirteen indicators track national progress toward meeting the national goals outlined in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, 2020 (NHAS 2020). These data are used to inform national decisions about how to best prioritize and target available HIV prevention and care resources. States and localities can also use these national indicators with their data to track progress over time and identify where improvements are needed.

Ensuring that everyone gets tested for HIV is a critical first step to end the epidemic and is a core strategy of the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative. HIV testing serves as a pathway to prevention and care services for all people. Any HIV test result should lead to engagement in high-quality health care for people who could benefit from HIV prevention or treatment.

Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, there has been limited national information on the impact of HIV among transgender populations. Despite significant challenges, there is much that can be done now to address key gaps in HIV prevention and care for transgender people.

A status neutral approach to HIV-related service delivery aims to deliver high-quality, culturally affirming health care and services at every engagement, supporting optimal health for people with and without HIV.  The status neutral approach aims to advance health equity and drive down disparities by embedding HIV prevention and care into routine care.

This issue brief highlighting how CDC, other federal agencies & community partners are collaborating to equitably address housing & HIV care needs through funding, program implementation & research.