Allegheny County records fewest new HIV diagnoses since surveillance began

Allegheny County recorded 53 new HIV diagnoses in 2025, marking the lowest annual total since surveillance began.

The total represents a 32% decrease from 2024 and a 54% decline since 2016, according to surveillance data released by the Allegheny County Health Department.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato says the decline reflects a decade of coordinated outreach, testing expansion and treatment advancements across the region.

“This is an extraordinary public health achievement and it is important that we recognize what these numbers tell us: public health investments work,” Innamorato said. “This progress also reminds us that ending HIV requires sustained commitment. We have to continue to protect and build upon the infrastructure, partnerships and trust that made this possible.”

Much of the regional effort has been coordinated through AIDS Free Pittsburgh, a collaborative initiative launched in 2015 and managed by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.

The AIDS Free Pittsburgh initiative brings together more than 50 regional partners, including the health department, UPMC, Allegheny Health Network, advocates and community-based organizations. Together, theyv’e aligned on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, education and outreach efforts.

Expanded access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, has played a key role in reducing transmission. AIDS Free Pittsburgh estimates that local PrEP usage has increased by approximately 400% since the initiative began.

Dr. Sarah McBeth, clinical director at UPMC Pittsburgh Area Center for Treatment and medical director at Allies for Health + Well Being, stressed the importance of reaching underserved groups.

“The science and tools exist to end the HIV epidemic,” McBeth said. “We have made tremendous progress because people have had greater access to prevention, testing, treatment and care. Our challenge now is making sure those tools reach every person who can benefit from them, particularly people and communities who continue to experience barriers to care.”

Despite the overall decrease, health data indicates ongoing demographic disparities in local transmission. Over nearly the past decade, Black residents in Allegheny County have been 10 times more likely to receive an HIV diagnosis than white residents. Men who have sex with men account for the majority of new cases, while heterosexual contact accounted for 23% of diagnoses in 2025.

To help track ongoing trends and direct health resources, the county health department launched the interactive Allegheny County HIV and STI Dashboard for residents, researchers and medical providers.

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