NSW HIV Strategy launch for 2012-2015

The New South Wales gov has launched it's strategy for the coming years, with the goal of reducing the HIV infection rates to virtually nothing here by 2020. 

Our goal is to work towards the virtual elimination of HIV transmission by 2020 To achieve this goal, our program efforts will focus on the following:

• Reduce the transmission of HIV among gay and other homosexually active men by 60% by 2015 and by 80% by 2020.

• Reduce heterosexual transmission of HIV, and transmission of HIV among Aboriginal populations, by 50% by 2015.

• Sustain the virtual elimination of motherto- child HIV transmission.

• Sustain the virtual elimination of HIV transmission in the sex industry.

• Sustain the virtual elimination of HIV transmission among people who inject drugs.

• Reduce the average time between HIV infection and diagnosis from 4 ½ years to 1 ½ years by 2015.

• Increase to 90% the number of people living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment by 2015.

• Sustain the virtual elimination of HIV related deaths. more

Here is the PDF of the entire document:
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/publications/Publications/nsw-hiv-strategy-2012-15.pdf

If this is to be accomplished there's a long way to go, but it 's interesting to see that in high risk groups such as the sex industry (prostitution is legal here), drug injectors (free needle exchange at participating chemists), and even mother to child, are all virtually zero infection rates. 

In the Talkabout  magazine this quarter however, they mention a real problem with getting people diagnosed and in some kind of care plan with a doctor. The estimate of the actual number of HIV infected people in NSW is 12,500-15,000. But there are only 10,000 of us who've been diagnosed. That's a big difference. Only if those HIV+ who aren't tested, get tested, will they have access to medication and medical care. 

So the answer is loud and clear, get tested. Going around the place simply hoping you haven't got it whilst infecting other people is just not the way to go. It's much better for you to know your status and work from there.

George Micheal comes to mind in this:

However, to discover that he does not believe in HIV tests and finds waiting for results too harrowing is pathetic and cowardly. 

Someone who is a role model, idol and influencer for so many, hiding from an infection which eventually led to the death of his former partner, Anselmo Feleppa, through an AIDS-related illness, is ignorant.more

Exactly.