Australia now ‘free’ of AIDS epidemic
Print Edition
AUSTRALIA yesterday declared that the AIDS epidemic is no longer a public health issue in the country, a month after the United Nations adopted an ambitious target to eliminate the threat globally by 2030.
The government-backed Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations and top scientists said the number of people being diagnosed with AIDS in Australia was now so small it was no longer reported.
AIDS cases in Australia peaked in 1994, at 953 cases, the Kirby Institute for infection and immunity in society said.
Since then, following the introduction of antiretroviral treatment, that prevent AIDS developing in people who are infected with the HIV virus, and awareness campaigns, AIDS diagnoses have declined sharply.
“Australia is incredibly fortunate to be in the position and it’s because of far-sighted government policy,” said Darryl O’Donnell, chief executive AFAO. “We had community organizations of gay men, sex workers and drug users doing outreach campaigns that were extraordinarily effective.”
A spokeswoman for the Federal Department of Health said while it was tremendous that AIDS was “not the automatic death sentence that it once was,” approximately 1,100 cases of HIV are detected each year. “We must not let down our guard.”
Worldwide there are 36.7 million people living with HIV, according to the World Health Organization, with 180,000 people dying from AIDS-related illness in the Asia-Pacific region last year.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
