Better health and ageing for all Australians

HIV AIDS

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Action on HIV/AIDS

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing is the Agency with primary responsibility for coordination of the national response to HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases.

In this section:

National initiatives

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing coordinates the national response to HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases through a number of national initiatives:

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008: Revitalising Australia’s Response

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008 has identified five priority areas for action to be addressed over the life of the Strategy: development of a targeted prevention education and health promotion program for HIV; improving the health of people living with HIV/AIDS; developing an effective response to the changing care and support needs of people living with HIV/AIDS; a review of the National HIV Testing Policy; and the provision of a clearer direction for HIV/AIDS research.

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy sits within a communicable diseases framework alongside other complementary Strategies, most notably the National Hepatitis C Strategy 2005-2008, the National Sexually Transmissible Infections (STIs) Strategy 2005-2008, and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Strategy 2005-2008. These four strategies have the common goal of preventing and reducing the transmission of infectious diseases and improving treatment, care and support for those affected.

The Ministerial Advisory Committee on AIDS, Sexual Health and Hepatitis (MACASHH) and its three subcommittees oversee the implementation process of the Strategies. Other groups, including State and Territory Governments and community based organisations are central to the successful implementation of the Strategies.

The goal of the fifth National HIV/AIDS Strategy is to reduce HIV transmission and to minimise the personal and social impacts of HIV/AIDS infection. Objectives of the Strategy include:
  • To reduce the number of new HIV/AIDS infections nationally, through health promotion, harm minimisation, education and improved awareness of transmission and trends in infection.
  • To improve the overall health and wellbeing of people living with HIV/AIDS in Australia through equitable access to treatments and improved continuum of care in health and human services.
  • To reduce HIV-related discrimination that impacts upon people living with HIV/AIDS and affected communities in Australia.
  • To develop and strengthen links with other related national initiatives.
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The National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy 2005-2008

The National Sexually Transmissible Infections (STI) Strategy is the first of its kind in Australia. The need for a National Strategy has become clearer in light of recent increases in diagnoses of some STIs. STIs can result in significant morbidity as well as increasing the risk of HIV transmission. While STIs are common in Australia, they often disproportionately affect specific groups of people.

The Strategy focuses on three specific priority areas: STIs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; STIs in gay and other homosexually active men; and chlamydia control and prevention.

The National STIs Strategy sits within a communicable diseases framework alongside other complementary Strategies, most notably the National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008; the National Hepatitis C Strategy 2005-2008; and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Strategy 2005-2008. These four Strategies have a common goal of reducing the transmission of infectious diseases and improving treatment, care and support for those affected.
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The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Strategy 2005-2008

HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections (STIs) are significant public health issues for Australian people at large but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are especially vulnerable due to their generally poorer health. According to surveillance data from the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR, 2006) diagnoses of these diseases are increasing.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Strategy 2005-2008 builds upon the work of the National Indigenous Australians’ Sexual Health Strategy (NIASHS) 1996-97 to 2003-04, which provided the first comprehensive approach to preventing the spread of HIV, other STIs and blood borne viruses (BBV) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The Strategy identifies four priority areas for improvement.
These priority areas are:
  • sexually transmissible infections;
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in the cross border region of Australia and Papua New Guinea;
  • access to needle and syringe programs; and
  • increased capacity in the health and community workforce to address all aspects of HIV/AIDS, STIs and BBVs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
This Strategy complements other strategies, most notably the National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008, the National Hepatitis C Strategy 2005-2008 and the National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy 2005-2008, by highlighting the additional priorities and issues that are unique to the prevention and treatment needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.




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National HIV Testing Policy 2006

Revision of the 1998 HIV Testing Policy was identified as an area for priority action in the fifth National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008.

The HIV Testing Policy has been revised in accordance with the changing epidemiology, technology and social context of the HIV epidemic in Australia. This testing policy maintains and reinforces the guiding principles of successive National HIV/AIDS Strategies since 1989.

For the first time, this policy also addresses Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV). The rationale for this is that HTLV is a retrovirus similar to HIV and is blood-borne. This policy also includes for the first time: an offer of routine testing to all women antenatally; changes to terminology from pre and post-test counselling to ‘pre and post test discussion’; and an outline of the ethical responsibilities of health care workers performing exposure prone procedures.

National HIV Testing Policy 2006 (PDF 402 KB)

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Trends in the Epidemic

There was a reduction in the annual number of newly acquired HIV infections in Australia from 763 cases in 2000 to 998 cases in 2006.

There was an increase in the annual number of new HIV diagnoses (adjusted for multiple reporting) in Australia from 782 cases in 2003 to 820 cases in 2004.

At the end of 2006, the cumulative number of HIV infections diagnosed in Australia was estimated to be 26,267. There were 10,125 diagnoses of AIDS and 6,723 deaths following AIDS had occurred.

Transmission of HIV continues to be mainly through sexual contact between men, which was reported in 88% of cases of newly acquired infection diagnosed in 2000 to 2006, heterosexual contact in 8%, and injecting drug use only in 1% of cases. In 3% of cases, exposure to HIV remained undetermined. In 2006, there was a similar rate of HIV diagnosis per capita in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (4.9 per 100,000 population) and non-Indigenous (5.1 per 100,000 populations. Higher proportions of cases were attributed to heterosexual contact and injecting drug use in the Indigenous population. Top of page

National Guidelines for the Management of People with HIV Who Place Others at Risk

These Guidelines have been developed by the Blood Borne Virus and Sexually Transmissible Infections Sub-Committee (BBVSS) of the Australian Population Health Development Principal Committee (APHDPC), to inform, support and harmonise approaches by Australia’s States and Territories to the management of people with HIV who place others at risk of HIV infection.
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Research

The Australian Government provides funding support to: The Population Health Division administers grants to the four National HIV/AIDS`, STI and Hepatitis C Research Centres and other commissioned research grants. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) administers grants and training awards.

Health Promotion

The Department of Health and Ageing's Population Health Division provides national leadership in the implementation of health promotion principles as identified in the fifth National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Health promotion activities include:
  • setting national priorities in health promotion;
  • commissioning the development, implementation and evaluation of national health promotion initiatives;
  • funding community organisations to conduct health promotion programs that are consistent with priorities of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008;
  • commissioning research and development activities to inform national health promotion activities; and
  • working in close collaboration with the Ministerial Advisory Committee on AIDS, Sexual Health and Hepatitis (MACASHH) and relevant community, research and industry bodies.
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Care and Support

Australian Government initiatives in the area of HIV/AIDS treatment and care aim to provide access to systems of care promoting health and quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS. The success of these initiatives relies on close cooperation between national, state and territory governments, scientific and research professionals and affected communities.

Treatment and care embraces a range of needs, including testing, early access to health maintenance programs, access to anti-retroviral therapies and management of HIV-associated conditions.

Recent years have seen advances in treatment and care through improved knowledge about HIV replication, the nature of the immune response, the impact of combination anti-retroviral therapy and monitoring viral load.

A continuum of care is used to ensure the effective delivery of the broad range of professional and community services, including HIV antibody testing, health monitoring, counselling and home and community care. However, as living with HIV/AIDS has become more medicalised, a range of care and support priorities have been identified:
  • improved collaboration between mental health, clinical and welfare services to address care and support needs of people living with HIV/AIDS;
  • strengthening existing programs to encourage HIV testing for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who may be or have been at risk of exposure to HIV; and
  • access to appropriate HIV health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with HIV/AIDS.
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An Enabling Environment

The success of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008 is dependent on sustaining a supportive social, legal and policy environment that encourages people living with HIV/AIDS and affected communities to:
  • support, promote and respond to education and prevention;
  • access voluntary testing and treatment services; and
  • participate effectively in all levels of the response.
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008 gives priority to the development of approaches to reduce stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV/AIDS in Australia, aimed particularly at improving their access to clinical care and health services.

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HIV/AIDS and Travel

The Department of Health and Ageing has developed a fact sheet, Tips for Travellers, which contains information on HIV/AIDS useful for travellers. This fact sheet is available from Tips for Travellers.

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International Assistance and Cooperation

Australia’s international HIV/AIDS aid assistance and cooperation activities are guided by Australia’s International HIV/AIDS Strategy. This Strategy is available from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). AusAID is responsible for coordinating policy advice on development matters and providing most of Australia's financial support for international HIV/AIDS programs.

Related Web-links

Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO)
National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA)
Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM)
Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL)
Multicultural HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C Service (MHAHS)
Scarlet Alliance - Australian Sex Workers Association Inc.
World AIDS Day - Australia
AusAID

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