Sexual health experts are hoping a two-pronged approach to HIV will help turn the tide on Queensland’s rising rate of infections.
The HIV Foundation said the strategy involved increasing the number of HIV tests conducted each year and increasing the use of a drug known as PrEP, which is relatively new in Australia.
Foundation chief executive Tony Majer said there was a growing awareness of the need for regular testing.
“The foundation’s been working with several key large gay-friendly clinics here in Brisbane,” he said.
“We’ve looked at the testing numbers that [have] been done in 2013 through to 2014 and we’ve seen an average increase of 36 per cent, which is a huge increase.”
The Queensland Government has also been offering free rapid testing.
Almost 2,000 rapid tests were conducted in 2014 and authorities were hoping to double that in 2015.
“[With] a regular HIV test that involves a blood draw, you can be waiting four or five days for the results,” Mr Majer said.
“The advantage with the rapid test is it’s a small finger prick of blood and the result is available generally in under 20 minutes which, you can understand, removes a lot of the anxiety of the people waiting for the result.”
While the rate of testing has been rising, so too has the rate of new HIV infections, although this was to be expected, he said.
“We’re going to diagnose more people as testing rates increase. This is something that’s been seen in other states as well when they’ve increased their testing programs,” he said.
Studies show PrEP ‘very effective’ in HIV prevention
But HIV Foundation chairman Dr Darren Russell said PrEP – or pre-exposure prophylaxis – could change that.
“We’ve had trouble over the last 10 years or so keeping HIV rates down,” Dr Russell said.
“PrEP really has the potential to be a game-changer.”
The drug is only available in Australia through a private prescription and is expensive, costing about $850 a month.
However, some sexual health workers say it is available online at about $100 for a monthly dose.
Dr Russell hoped that cost could be reduced with increased use, the end to the drug’s patent and possible state subsidies, or possibly its listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
“Recent studies have shown PrEP is probably 86 per cent [effective] in preventing HIV, although if guys are very good at taking their tablet every day the effectiveness is probably well over 95 per cent,” he said.
The HIV Foundation and Queensland Health are embarking on a trial to encourage its use.
This is being driven by clinical nurse consultant Simon Doyle-Adams from the Cairns Sexual Health Service.
“As the community have got more and more information and they’re seeing it used abroad more, more guys are saying, ‘Actually I’d like to trial PrEP as well’,” he said.
The trial is expected to run for 12 months.