Victorian AIDS Council Gay Men’s Health Centre including the Positive Living Centre VAC Reg. No. A 3609 GMHC Reg No. A0010550F VAC ABN 52 907 644 835 GMHC ABN 87 652 472 253

Tuesday 30 November 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE USE

WORLD AIDS DAY - DECEMBER 1 Get the Facts

The Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men’s Health Centre (VAC/GMHC) is urging all Victorians to show they care on World AIDS Day this Wednesday 1 December by getting the facts about HIV and wearing a to show their support for people living with HIV.

1 December is recognised internationally as World AIDS Day to raise awareness in the community about HIV and AIDS issues, including the need for support and understanding for people living with HIV (PLHIV), and the need for the development and implementation of education and prevention resources and activities.

The theme for 2010 in Victoria is “World AIDS Day – Get the Facts”. “This theme acknowledges that more than 25 years into the HIV epidemic in Australia, HIV remains a communicable disease but also a preventable disease”, Mike Kennedy, the Executive Director at the Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men’s Health Centre, said today.

“World AIDS Day provides an opportunity to reinforce the messages that remain our best weapon against HIV infection”, Mr Kennedy said. Safe sex is using and water-based lubricants as well as a range of other things you can do during sex to help reduce the risk of catching or passing on HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) or STIs (sexually transmitted infections). The most common way HIV and STIs are passed on is through vaginal or anal sex without a . However, while condoms (used correctly with water-based lubricants) provide excellent protection against HIV, they protect only partially against other STIs, so regular STI testing is an important part of a personal sexual health plan.

HIV and other infections such as hepatitis can be passed on through sharing injecting equipment. It is extremely risky to share needles, syringes and other injecting equipment. The safest way to avoid infections is to not inject drugs. People who inject drugs should always use sterile needles, syringes and equipment.

Mike Kennedy urged anyone who thinks they are at risk, or might have been exposed to HIV, to get tested for HIV and STIs at their local doctor or sexual health centre, and know their status.

“HIV and STIs are preventable conditions. Sexual and injecting drug use behaviour can change as a result of targeted and effective prevention programs, and these changes can contain HIV infections," Mr Kennedy said.”

“This World AIDS Day we are asking you to get the facts so that you can protect yourself and your partners and help us fight the stigma and discrimination that are still part of the lives of many people living with HIV”, Mr Kennedy said.

“The current levels of stigma and discrimination faced by PLHIV are unacceptable and World AIDS Day provides an opportunity for all of us to commit to improving the human rights of PLHIV in Victoria”, he said.

World AIDS Day gives the entire community an opportunity to show that they care. HIV/AIDS is everybody's problem and together, we can make a difference.

For further comment contact Mike Kennedy, Executive Director, VAC/GMHC on 0419 725 235

Total pages: 4 HIV EPIDEMIOLOGY

HIV surveillance reports take some time to compile, check and release so there is a time lag in most of the data that are available. Figures below are for the 2009 calendar year. Where there are figures in square brackets, these represent the estimated ranges for the data quoted.

GLOBAL

People living with HIV – 33.3 million [31.4 – 35.3 million] New HIV infections 2009 – 2.6 million [2.3 – 2.8 million] AIDS related deaths 2009 – 1.8 million [1.6 – 2.1 million] – 1.3 in Sub-Saharan Africa Adult HIV prevalence - 0.8% [0.7% - 0.8%] – Sub-Saharan Africa 5% down to East Asia < 0.1% Source: UNAIDS (see useful websites next page)

AUSTRALIA

People living with HIV – more than 20,000 New HIV infections 2009 – 1,050 (139 women) Source: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (see useful websites next page)

VICTORIA

People living with HIV – more than 5,300 New HIV infections 2009 – 262 (21 women) (76% gay men and other men who have sex with men) (Source: Department of Health – see useful websites next page)

Useful websites

Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men’s Health Centre: www.vicaids.asn.au

Global – UNAIDS http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp Many useful links on this page, including to World AIDS Day 2010 campaign and global epidemiology.

The summary global fact sheet is at http://www.unaids.org/documents/20101123_FS_Global_em_en.pdf.

Australia – World AIDS Day website www.worldaidsday.org.au for information about Australian epidemiology and 2010 World AIDS Day events.

National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research – Australian Epidemiological data http://www.med.unsw.edu.au/nchecr/ From the home page choose the National Surveillance tab and then either the Annual Surveillance or the Quarterly Surveillance links.

National Centre in HIV Social Research http://nchsr.arts.unsw.edu.au/ From the home page, the links to Publications and Social Research Briefs contain data from Australian Social Research into HIV.

Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (Melbourne) http://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/ From the front page, the link to Publications has useful information, including HIV Futures research.

Victoria- Department of Health http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ideas/

Contains information about the Victorian response to HIV and BBV. The Surveillance tab leads to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Bulletin – Issue 1 in each volume contains the Victorian HIV statistics for the previous calendar year.

Notified cases of new HIV diagnoses, Victoria, 1999 to 2009

275 250 225 200 175 150 125 100 75 50 Number of diagnoses of Number 25 0 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Year of diagnosis