Australian scientists declare the 'end of AIDS' as a major public health issue

Scientists in Australia have declared the end of AIDS as a major public health issue in the country.

While the battle against HIV transmission is far from one, improvements in treatments, harm reduction strategies and increased testing has seen the number of people with HIV going on to develop AIDS reach almost non-existent levels in Australia., experts says.

The announcement comes from a group of Australia’s top AIDS epidemiologists and scientists including The Kirby and Peter Doherty Institutes, as well as the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations.

Speaking to the Star Observer, Billy Bowtell, the executive director of Pacific Friends of the Global Fund reveals how he remembers the beginning of the epidemic.

“For someone now in 2016 form 1986, it couldn’t be more different. I know people who have become HIV-positive this year, their outlook couldn’t be more different.”

“I never thought it would be in my time that it would come out to where it is today,” he adds.

However, those working within the sector know that there is still a battle to reach the goal of having no new HIV infections by 2020 in Australia.

Professor Andrew Grulich, head of the HIV Epidemiology and Preventing Program at the Kirby Institute, said that Australia has made “tremendous progress” in treating and preventing HIV.

“While we continue to see a number of people diagnosed late with HIV, some of whom have AIDS-type symptoms, the AIDS public health threat has morphed into an HIV prevention challenge, he said. “We continue to see more than 1000 new HIV diagnoses a year in Australia.”

“In fact, with new prevention tools such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) Australia has a real chance of both consolidating our tremendous progress against AIDS and reaching the ambitious goal of virtual elimination of HIV transmission by 2020.”

Bowtell says he’s reluctant to celebrate the news of AIDS disappearing from Australia because of the thousands who had died before the treatment became available.

“I remember the people who died and they died before their time. I admire the work of the volunteers and community organisations and academics. This is something we can all be quietly proud of.”

Despite Australia’s success in the battle against AIDS, in the UK HIV rates continue to rise year-on-year-among men who have sex with men.

Despite the continued epidemic, NHS England confirmed back in May that it would not be funding a wide-scale roll-out of HIV-preventing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication, despite the evidence of various studies showing it to be “highly effective” in reducing the spread of the virus.

Australian scientists declare the ‘end of AIDS’ as a major public health issue

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