The CDC is urging public health powers to improve HIV prevention and treatment for transgender women, according to a National HIV Behavioral Surveillance report published in April.
The report analyzes data from 2019 and 2020 interviews with 1,608 transgender women in seven major U.S. cities.
Among all participants, 17 percent had no health insurance, and the household income of 63 percent of participants was at or below the federal poverty line. In the 12 months before the interview, 42 percent of participants had experienced homelessness and 17 percent had been incarcerated. Forty-two percent of respondents receiving an HIV test had tested positive, with extreme disparities reported between Black, Hispanic/Latinx and white participants.
The report underscores the population's high risk of HIV, homelessness and limited access to preventive care. The report calls on public health bodies to provide more care for transgender women, starting with robust HIV testing.