HIV Australia 2019

There are roughly 700,000 international students currently studying in Australia, most of whom are in their 20s and come from Asian countries such as China, India, Nepal, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The eighth National HIV Strategy (2018-2022) outlines the importance of improving the frequency, regularity and targeting of HIV testing across all priority populations as a means of decreasing rates of late diagnosis and eliminating HIV transmission.

Around half of all people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Australia are now over 50 [1] with this number projected to rise [2].

With over one billion people moving across the world in 2018 [1], mobility is an increasingly important driver of infectious diseases including HIV.

For the first twelve years of the epidemic, HIV/AIDS was a mass trauma event for the gay community in Australia. It was a prolonged period of psychological and social disruption threatening the coping capacity of the communities and threatening their very survival.

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have made progress on HIV and should be commended for their efforts. However, many are still unlikely to reach their targets by next year.

Funding decisions for South East Asia’s HIV response has traditionally been the purview of policy makers, government ministries and development aid donors. Often regarded as a technocratic field, this perception of HIV financing has limited the input from communities and individuals most affected by HIV, despite these decisions directly affecting them. 

In our recent study of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related attitudes and awareness among gay and bisexual men—in which one third of the sample comprised men living with HIV—we found knowledge about new HCV treatments to be surprisingly low.

For almost two decades it has been clear that rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission have been particularly high in HIV positive gay men, and not just in those engaging in injecting drug use. In many cities worldwide, especially within Europe, HCV acquisition among these men is mostly occurring through methods other than injecting drug use.

The HIV and Mobility in Australia: Road Map for Action reviews current programs and activities that respond to HIV acquired overseas and sets out a research and action agenda for migrant and mobile populations. It is intended to create discussion, and support advocacy efforts, policy and practice to help Australia reach its goal of ending HIV transmission by 2022.

In brief, it means an independent committee has reviewed the project and considered whether it has scientific merit, respects the autonomy of the participants and has adequately considered the potential risks and benefits for participants and the wider community.

On 1 April 2018, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) became available through Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This allowed people who could most benefit from PrEP to access it through Government subsidy. While this access is one of the best in the world, there are still people that could benefit greatly from PrEP that are not able to access it including young people under the age of 18.

Everyone over the age of 15 who applies for a permanent or provisional visa in Australia must have a HIV test to determine if they meet the ‘health requirement’ to be granted a visa. For people living with HIV (PLHIV) this requirement presents a seemingly insurmountable hurdle

If Australia is to achieve its ambitious target of virtually eliminating new HIV transmissions by 2022, the ability to test for HIV frequently and easily will be paramount.

The Queensland AIDS Council (QuAC) aims to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI), Sistergirl and Brotherboy Queenslanders through prevention programs, by helping people to improve, and have more control over, their health and wellbeing.

PrEP has emerged as a highly effective HIV prevention tool for gay and bisexual men and other people at risk of acquiring HIV. However, PrEP has not been accepted by all, mainly due to fears that its use will lead to further increases in other STIs among gay and bisexual men.

On-demand and injectable PrEP. The trial is being undertaken among HIV negative gay and bisexual men and transgender women across the Americas, Asia and South Africa. The results of this trial are expected in 2021.

A presentation by Associate Professor Kathy Petoumenos, Kirby Institute, UNSW at the AFAO Members’ Meeting May 2019 on the findings from work conducted by NAPWHA and the Kirby Institute on people living with HIV ineligible for Medicare.

A presentation by Teddy Cook, ACON, Professor Martin Holt, CSRH, UNSW and Mish Pony Scarlet Alliance at the AFAO Members’ Meeting May 2019 on some of the key findings from the inaugural Australian Trans and Gender Diverse Sexual Health Survey.

An interview with Ronivin Garcia Pagtakhan, Founder and Executive Director of LoveYourself in the Philippines about what it’s like for gay men from countries like the Philippines traveling to countries like Australia.

An interview with Ronivin Garcia Pagtakhan, Founder and Executive Director of LoveYourself in the Philippines about the organisation and its work in the Philippines.

A presentation by Janelle Fawkes from DecrimQLD and Leanne Melling from SWOP NT at the AFAO Members’ Meeting May 2019 giving an update on sex work law reform in Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia.   Resources: Scarlet Alliance DecrimQLD SWOP NT South Australia

An interview with Kate Aubusson, Health Editor at the Sydney Morning Herald about the role of journalism in contemporary political environments.

An interview with Associate Professor Christopher Fisher from the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University about the National Survey of Secondary Students and Sexual Health 2018.

An interview with Samantha Edmonds, Silver Rainbow National Project Manager, from the National LGBTI Health Alliance about issues for LGBTI people ageing in light of the Royal Commission into Aged Care.

A presentation by Professor Andrew Grulich at the AFAO Members’ Meeting May 2019 giving an overview of the evidence for on-demand (or event-based) PrEP, and highlighting when it is not suitable for some people, including for women and men of trans experience.

An interview with Dr Lisa Fitzgerald from the University of Queensland at the AFAO Members’ Meeting in November 2018 about the experiences of people ageing with HIV from her recent research.

An interview with Professor Sharon Lewin AO from the Doherty Institute explaining the London Patient and what this means for HIV cure research.

An interview with the Hon Dr Neal Blewett AC and the Hon Dr Peter Baume AC on the bipartisanship that defined Australia’s early response to the HIV epidemic.