Report Shows Increase In Number Of New HIV Cases In Australia

Australia’s Kirby Institute on Monday published a report showing “new cases of HIV last year rose at their fastest rate in 20 years, with a dramatic increase among young men and indigenous people,” The Guardian reports (Davidson, 10/20). David Wilson, a professor at the institute who wrote the report, said, “It’s very alarming what’s happening with HIV at the moment. We’ve had over 1,250 cases of HIV recorded, that’s those that have been diagnosed. … There are about 25 percent of cases that are undiagnosed in Australia as well,” according to ABC News. “The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations [AFAO] says there has been a significant rise in gay men with casual partners having unprotected sex, particularly among men aged under 25,” the news service writes (10/20). “Bill Whittaker of the National Association of People With HIV Australia (NAPWHA), believes Australia has reached ‘one of the critical moments in 30 years of AIDS’ and warns that not enough is being done to combat the disease,” The Guardian notes (10/20). AFAO Executive Director Rob Lake “says there is a need for a new strategy to encourage condom use and HIV testing,” ABC writes (10/20).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.