Queensland, Australia - after being popularly dubbed as the world's leading state in terms of ending HIV, the state has recently recorded an astounding 38 percent drop in notifications in a span of two years. Since 2012, it was found that the data has been compared to the national average that was noted to have plateaued at about 1200 diagnoses each year. But what does the data imply? Have finally reached the end game in our search for the cure?
The Dramatic Decrease On HIV Cases In Queensland
In one of his statements reported by Huffington Post Australia, HIV Foundation Queensland board member Darren Russell said that a large part of the dramatic reduction was credited to the new preventative drugs, which has allegedly increased testing and strong campaigns. However, Russell has explained that it wasn't pointing to less unprotected sex. Furthermore, the board member has also added that when data from other sexually transmitted diseases that mainly affect gay men is being considered, gonorrhea is up 68 percent and syphilis has gone up at 60 percent yet HIV is down by 38 percent. Additionally, Russell continues to explain that the data simply implies that gay men are still having sex, since they're still getting STDs, but something is certainly working which resulted to reduced HIV cases.
Is The Cure Found In Australia?
Meanwhile, despite these facts, Gay News Network reports that Health Minister Cameron Dick has recently announced that the HIV Foundation Queensland, which has been created by the Newman Government in 2013, is not going to be funded anymore right after the expiry of its current agreement on June 30, 2017. Russell claims that although the Minister has already declared such information, at this stage of the HIV response, it was found that a new Sexual Health Ministerial Advisory Committee is actually required to be effectively implemented like what they have now. Ultimately, as of press time, Queensland is currently being considered as the only AIDS council in Australia without state government funding.
