New HIV Infections in the United States

In recognition of World AIDS Day, CDC is highlighting updated estimates of new HIV infections in the United States. Accurately tracking the HIV epidemic is essential to the nation's HIV prevention efforts. Yet monitoring trends in new HIV infections has historically posed a major challenge, in part because many HIV infections are not diagnosed until years after they occur. New technology developed by CDC can be used to distinguish recent from longstanding HIV infections. CDC has applied this advanced technology to develop the first national surveillance system of its kind that is based on direct measurement of new HIV infections. This new system represents a major advance in HIV surveillance and allows for more precise estimates of HIV incidence (the annual number of new infections) than ever before possible.
CDC's first estimates from this system reveal that the HIV epidemic is — and has been — worse than previously known. Results indicate that approximately 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006. This figure is roughly 40 percent higher than CDC's former estimate of 40,000 infections per year, which was based on limited data and less precise methods.
Analysis by Transmission Category
MSM — Gay and bisexual men are referred to in CDC surveillance systems as men who have sex with men (MSM) and accounted for 53 percent (28,700) of estimated new HIV infections in 2006.
Heterosexuals — Heterosexuals accounted for 31 percent (16,800) of estimated new HIV infections in 2006.
IDUs —Injection drug users (IDUs) accounted for 12 percent (6,600) of estimated new HIV infections.