The total number of HIV-related deaths in New York City fell below 1,000 in 2009 for the first time since the 1980s, according to the city’s year-end summary of vital statistics. The number of total deaths fell from 1,073 in 2008 to 933 in 2009. The decline most likely resulted from early HIV diagnoses, expanded testing and more effective medical care for people living with HIV. The numbers also show that the city’s syringe exchange program lowered the diagnoses among injecting drug users and that maternal screening and treatment nearly eliminated mother-to-child transmission. However, the HIV rate among young men who sex with men is still on the rise.