Amid nationwide decline, Memphis stays an HIV hotspot
“We’ve reached out to our largest school system and are awaiting response from them on how we can partner and best support them to combat these rates, since we know that a lot of our adolescents are at risk,” Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Michelle Taylor said. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Local health organizations are ramping up HIV testing to combat the rising rate of new infections among teens and young adults in Shelby County.
HIV infection rates continue to decline nationwide, but the Memphis area persists as a hotspot for new infections.
Shelby County ranks second nationally with new HIV infections, behind Miami and ahead of Atlanta.
The Tennessee Department of Health estimates show HIV rates in Shelby County have increased 36% overall since 2018, while new cases among people ages 15-19 have risen 40% in the same time period.
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HIV/AIDS Shelby County Health Department UTHSC Infectious Disease St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Aisling Mäki
Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.
As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.
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