Seven Percent Decline in HIV Diagnoses in Australia

HIV diagnoses in Australia have hit a five-year low, with a significant drop among homosexual and bisexual men, latest figures from a major study released on Monday said.

"The good news from the report is there's been a seven percent decline in HIV diagnoses in the past five years, with 953 diagnoses in 2017, which compares to over 1,000 in previous years," Professor Rebecca Guy from the University of New South Wales said here.

‘HIV testing and treatment are two important strategies that can help reduce the number of HIV cases in the country.’

"What's interesting this year is the decline has not been equal across all populations," she said.

The figures involving heterosexuals have increased by 10 percent in the last five years, Xinhua news agency reported. While those among indigenous population were also twice those of the non-indigenous ones.

The declines were attributed to higher coverage of HIV testing and treatment in the country -- two important strategies, she added.

"The key message is, for people living with HIV, increasing tendency for more frequent testing must become "an established norm", Associate Professor Limin Mao added.



Source: IANS