How big is the HIV epidemic in Memphis? Public health officials aren't saying

There is an ‘alarming’ increase in the number of new positive HIV tests in Shelby County; that’s all the public knows. The extent of the outbreak has not been quantified for the public.

The Shelby County Health Department posted a case increase notice online on May 13 and highlighted the ZIP codes where increases were detected: 38103, 38105, 38106, 38107, 38108, 38109, 38114 , 38118, 38126 and 38127.

Beyond that, Shelby County residents don’t have access to the exact data that could contextualize the rise.

The manager of this health data is the Tennessee Department of Health. Community organizations that provide HIV testing file results with the Department of State. The most recent HIV surveillance data published on the TDOH website – data that captures rates of positive HIV test results – is current through 2021.

A significant lag between data collection and release is normal in Tennessee’s health infrastructure, as it is at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But enough preliminary information has been gathered to establish that it is necessary to alert the public.

TDOH did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The Shelby County Health Department declined to comment beyond a statement similar to the department’s alert to the public.

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Outbreak mitigation strategies – testing, prevention and treatment – are underway, according to the Ministry of Health statement. But it’s also unclear what the risk reduction plan is.

United Way of Nashville is the administrator of the CDC’s Ending the HIV Epidemic program for Tennessee. They also manage non-profit community partners who provide HIV testing and harm reduction. United Way is responsible for organizing a strategic response to the HIV epidemic.

A United Way representative declined to comment and instead referred all inquiries to the county health department.

Disruption of HIV services contributed to possible epidemic, Planned Parenthood says

Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi was able to provide context on the events leading up to the HIV epidemic and what a mitigation strategy might look like.

In January 2023, nonprofits were blindsided by the state’s decision to cut CDC funding distributed to community partners for HIV prevention, detection and treatment programs. Going forward, the state said at the time, Tennessee would forgo all CDC funding and replace those dollars with state funding. This tranche of funding, the state said, would not be distributed to any organization not formally affiliated with a metropolitan health department.

The state’s decision came mid-grant cycle for many affected organizations, leaving nonprofit administrators scrambling to cover the loss of funds. Ultimately, in a first-of-its-kind move, the CDC chose to distribute the canceled funding directly to nonprofit organizations that provided HIV testing and harm reduction services.

More than a year later, Ashely Coffield, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, highlighted that upheaval as a significant factor leading to the current outbreaks.

“It caused tremendous chaos when (Governor Bill) Lee’s administration took matters into its own hands, instead of (following) CDC priorities,” Coffield said.

The fight caused an interruption of services for many providers, and valuable work and funds were spent finding a workaround. Community outreach, education, condom distribution and other preventative measures run by nonprofit organizations have suffered.

Coupled with the ramifications of Tennessee’s Gateway Law, a law that prohibits any mention of sexual activity that could be considered a “gateway” to sexual intercourse and instead mandates sex education focused on abstinence, the current HIV epidemic is hardly surprising, Coffield said.

For now, as community organizations strategize on immediate steps to reduce the risks of the outbreak getting worse, Planned Parenthood, along with other nonprofits, is focused on the same measures of prevention that have been affected over the last year.

HIV testing is free and readily available at Memphis organizations, and the county health department has extended its testing hours. A list of these establishments is available on the Ministry of Health website.

Micaela Watts is a reporter at The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at [email protected].