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Is Sydney on the Way to Eradicating HIV?

Is Sydney on the Way to Eradicating HIV?

by Dr. Krishanga on Jul 25 2023 4:07 PM
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Highlights:
  • Sydney suburbs with a higher proportion of gay men have achieved an 88% reduction in new HIV infections since 2010
  • Despite the success in inner-city areas, HIV prevention efforts in the outer suburbs have been less effective, with only a 31% decrease in new HIV infections over the same period
  • This highlights the challenge of extending prevention services to more diverse communities in these regions
Efforts to combat HIV transmission in Sydney's suburbs, previously devastated by the AIDS epidemic, have shown remarkable success, with the highest reduction in new HIV infections reported globally since 2010. Particularly, postcodes with a significant gay population have experienced an 88% decline in new cases, pointing to the effectiveness of targeted prevention initiatives in these areas.

Challenges in Expanding HIV Prevention Beyond Inner City

Despite the significant progress in inner-city areas, the success of HIV prevention campaigns have been less pronounced in the outer suburbs of Sydney, where a 31% decrease in new HIV infections has been observed over the same period.
This discrepancy highlights the need to expand prevention services to diverse communities in these regions, presenting a unique challenge for public health efforts (1 Trusted Source
In Australia, Most HIV Infections Among Gay and Bisexual Men are Attributable to Sex with 'New' Partners

Go to source
).

Strengthening Outreach and Education for Lasting Impact

To further enhance HIV prevention efforts, healthcare providers and organizations have been actively working to extend education and healthcare initiatives outside the inner city.

The use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has shown promising results in reducing the risk of HIV transmission but its uptake has been lower in areas with a lower proportion of gay men. To bridge this gap, targeted messaging, community involvement, and multilingual services have become integral components of these outreach endeavors.

Despite significant progress, stakeholders emphasized the need for sustained funding and active intervention to maintain the gains achieved and continue the fight against HIV.

Reference:
  1. In Australia, Most HIV Infections Among Gay and Bisexual Men are Attributable to Sex with 'New' Partners - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28283774/)


Source-Medindia


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