Fulton County to receive nearly $38M for battle against HIV
Scanning electron micrograph of an HIV-infected H9 T cell. (Photo by: NIH/NAID/IMAGE.FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County’s Department for HIV Elimination has been awarded more than $5.1 million through the Fiscal Year 2025 "Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE)" initiative, a federal program overseen by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The grant represents a slight increase of 0.65% over last year’s award.
What we know:
The funding—totaling $5,119,509—will be used to support HIV prevention and treatment efforts across Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties. The EHE initiative, launched in 2019, aims to reduce new HIV infections in the United States by 75% within five years and by 90% over ten years.
In addition to the EHE funding, Fulton County received full funding for its Ryan White Part A and Minority AIDS Initiative grant for FY25, totaling $32,339,493. This represents a modest increase of $65,278 from the previous year.
Combined, the county will receive more than $37 million in federal support for HIV treatment, prevention, and support services in 2025.
What they're saying:
Georgia has faced an HIV epidemic for several years. In 2023, there were 2,442 people newly diagnosed with HIV in Georgia, according to Georgia Department of Health. That was slightly lower than the number of new cases in 2022 – 2,546 people. Black men who had male-to-male sexual contact continued to account for the most HIV diagnosis – 40% in 2023. The next highest group was Black women who had heterosexual contact at 14%.
According to a recent analysis by Invigor Medical, Georgia has the highest rate of HIV in the nation and is in the top 5 for newly reported STD cases.