HIV Media Guide
Information for journalists
HIV prevention
There are a range of strategies that people can use to reduce or eliminate the risk of HIV transmission.
Safe sex strategies and safe drug use have been the cornerstone for Australia’s successful community-led response to HIV for the past 30 years.
In recent years, these approaches have been complemented by new biomedical approaches, including post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) – a 28 day course of antiretroviral administered after an incident of suspected HIV exposure; and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – the use of antiretroviral medication by HIV-negative people to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV.
The use of antiretrovirals by people with HIV has also been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of onward transmission of the virus (known as ‘treatment as prevention’).
Mother to child transmission is now rare in Australia, due to careful antenatal monitoring, treatment with antiretrovirals, and postnatal care and support.
Male circumcision, which has been found to be effective in lowering the rate of HIV transmission among heterosexuals in Africa, is not considered a relevant HIV prevention tool in Australia.
Universal infection control procedures minimise the risk of HIV transmission in healthcare settings and where piercing and tattooing is performed,
Due to screening, the Australian blood supply is regarded as safe.
See also:
Peer education: a key health promotion principle
Prevention campaigns
The media can play an important role in showcasing HIV prevention campaigns. Some examples of current campaigns with a national focus are:
Time to Test, which also focuses on the importance of HIV testing among gay and other men who have sex with men, promoting the benefits of regular HIV testing - with a particular focus on encouraging first time testers, and those who test less frequently than recommended by the Australian testing guidelines.
Destiny Haz Arrived is a uniquely home grown Aboriginal superhero drag celebrity who attends community events to promote awareness of HIV and STIs among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, especially gay men and sistergirls (transgender women). This multi-year campaign was developed by the Anwernekenhe National HIV Alliance (ANA) in partnership with AFAO.
Ending HIV, an ambitious campaign, developed by ACON (an AFAO member organisation), to help reduce HIV infections among gay and bisexual men in NSW. It aims to persuade gay men that it is within the gay community’s reach to end HIV by ‘testing more, treating early and staying safe’. AFAO’s health promotion team has worked on supporting the delivery of the Ending HIV campaign in the other Australian states and territories.