The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations Inc. has released new HIV statistics indicating that rates of new diagnoses remain high.

The statistics show that in 2013, 1235 people were diagnosed with HIV across Australia, only a slight drop from 2012’s total of 1253.

The findings show that gay men continue to account for 75% of new HIV infections.

The findings reported that condom use among men engaging in casual sex has dropped 9% over the past decade, while HIV rates among sex workers and people who inject drugs remain encouragingly low.

Approximately 6 in 10 people diagnosed with HIV have a suppressed viral load as a result of medication, which reduces the risk of onward transmission.

AFAO Executive Director Rob Lake made the following comments on what the findings mean for Australia’s AIDS epidemic:

“If we are to achieve the ambitious goal of ending HIV transmission by 2020, we need a concerted effort to re-engage gay men around condom use and improve access to medicines that help prevent HIV transmission,” he said.

“Rapid and home testing for HIV are proving more and more popular and access to them needs to be expanded.”
“We also need to keep the conversation about HIV prevention and stigma happening amongst gay men and the broader community.”
“This has begun but we need support and action from government, health providers and our community to make it effective.”