The San Francisco AIDS Foundation applauded today's reports that infection rates among gay men in San Francisco may be dropping, but also urged City leaders and the AIDS community to build on these positive trends and further reduce HIV infection levels.

"It is great news that a variety of indicators have lead public health experts to conclude that rates of new infections among gay men have declined, but infection levels still remain unacceptably high," said Mark Cloutier, executive director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. "As a community, we need to build on these positive trends and do everything possible to eliminate new HIV infections in the City. To accomplish this goal, we must continue to invest in highly-targeted HIV prevention programs, ensure access to HIV treatment and related support services, and focus on factors that are driving new HIV infections, such as the use of crystal methamphetamines and mental health issues among gay men, such as isolation, loneliness, low self-esteem and depression."

A number of factors are likely contributing to the decline in new infections. These include effective and targeted HIV prevention efforts aimed at those at highest risk for HIV infection, including frank and blunt messages to those who are most at-risk as well as increased prevention efforts targeted at those already infected; ensuring that people living with HIV/AIDS have access to HIV care and treatment, thereby reducing viral load and the risk of further HIV infections; and a growing trend among gay men to seek out sex partners who are known to have the same HIV-status (also referred to as "sero-sorting").

"These findings indicate that San Francisco's HIV treatment and prevention efforts are playing a critical role in fighting this epidemic and validate our City's efforts to end this epidemic," continued Cloutier. "Clearly, a strong and well-resourced public health system that ensures access to HIV prevention and care programs is critical to reducing new HIV infections. Not funding this system adequately could result in a disastrous reversal of these trends."

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation also urged caution in interpreting these data until epidemiologists and other experts further assess a number of HIV incidence indicators. The city is in the process of reviewing these data and will be convening a meeting to develop a "consensus estimate" of HIV infection rates in San Francisco. This process will take place in the coming months. At that time we should have a much better picture of HIV incidence in San Francisco.