BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Louisiana Department of Health says last year brought the lowest number of new HIV diagnoses in more than a decade—and possibly even a generation.

  

The Bureau of Infectious Diseases reported Tuesday that there were 989 new diagnoses in 2018, compared to at least 1,000 every year since 2006, and from 1988 through 2004.

  

There were 964 new cases in 2005 and 982 in 2006 - but a state report in 2008 said those numbers were low because so many people left and testing was disrupted after hurricanes in 2005.

  

The head of the Office of Public Health, Dr. Alexander Billioux, says there's an encouraging increase in the number of people with HIV getting linked to medical care within 30 days. He says the trends are positive.