New York is no longer America’s AIDS capital.
The number of new HIV infections dropped three times faster in the Empire State than across the nation from 2007 to 2010, according to data obtained by The Post.
Infections plummeted from 5,300 cases in 2007 to 3,400 in 2010, a 36 percent reduction, the state Health Department reports.
Nationally, the number of cases fell by 11 percent, from 53,200 to 47,500, the department said.
That means New York accounted for just 7.2 percent of new HIV infections in the nation in 2010, compared with 10 percent in 2007 — almost matching the state’s 6 percent share of the US population.
“We are no longer the epicenter in terms of new infections,” NY AIDS Institute Director Dan O’Connell said in a presentation to the state AIDS Advisory Council. “That is actually good news.”
Health officials cited several preventive measures as contributing to the decline in infections, including increased condom use, syringe-exchange programs and expanded access to medication.
For example, transmission from injecting drugs dropped from half of all AIDS cases down to 2 percent — thanks to syringe exchanges.
In addition, all newborns are screened for HIV/AIDS infection.
Health officials stressed that the state needs to remain vigilant.