Prevention: Transforming HIV
Over the last few years, treatment of HIV has come a long way and now plays a vital role in prevention. Building on the new optimistic message that “HIV is different now” are the major advances in treatment that ensure people living with HIV live a long, healthy and fulfilling life.
QPP believe that there are clear actions that will bring about the end to the sexual transmission of HIV. These are:
- Substantially increase access to and uptake of voluntary HIV testing in Australia
- Enhance access to and uptake of antiretroviral treatment for HIV
- Make HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis available
- Strengthen the partnership response and enabling environment
It is an exciting time now the possibility of ending the sexual transmission of HIV is within reach. QPP is supported by NAPWHA (National Association of People with HIV Australia) in representing people living with HIV. It is our aim to maximise the impact on the prevention of HIV in Queensland and write the history of HIV for the nation.
HIV Treatment Cascade:
How Australia will measure progress on eliminating the sexual transmission of HIV
Australia is a signatory to the UN Declaration on HIV/AIDS and has committed to a 50% reduction in the sexual transmission of HIV by 2015.
This commitment will utilise biomedical prevention opportunities and the scientific advances in our understanding of HIV transmission and antiretroviral treatment. Biomedical prevention opportunities have two significant benefits:
- Individual Health Benefit – HIV positive people will have significantly better health outcomes and mitigate HIV-associated comorbidities if diagnosed early, and have access to appropriate continuous treatment (presence of viral load as a result of untreated HIV leads to inflammation and disease progression).
- Secondary Population Prevention Benefit – HIV positive patients are likely to achieve an undetectable viral load through antiretroviral treatment, and are considered to be significantly less infectious once this is achieved (RCT data indicates a 96% reduction in transmission risk when treatment is combined with condom use).
Australia’s measurement of progress towards the UN Declaration to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV by 50% will be in part determined by the treatment cascade, particularly the ability to reduce community viral load by retaining PLHIV in care and encouraging appropriate treatment.