Victoria recorded 286 new cases of HIV in 2005, a 28 percent rise over the 223 cases recorded the previous year and the highest since 1991. All of Australia’s eastern states have recorded big rises in HIV incidence over recent years, prompting fears of a resurgent epidemic and heated discussion about the possible causes for the rises.
In NSW, new infections fell slightly from 405 to 392 last year, the second recorded fall in two years after rises in 2002 and 2003. Queensland recorded 150 new infections, up from 137 in 2004 – a 9.5 percent increase and the state’s second increase in a row, and rises have also been recorded in other states. The majority of new infections are among gay men in their late 30s and early 40s.
With a pronounced trend nationwide towards increases in new infections, AIDS Councils and state health departments have expressed concern at continued evidence of high levels of unprotected sex among gay men.
“We know that there’s a big gap between hearing … and [putting into effect] those safe-sex messages on every occasion,” Victorian AIDS Council executive director Mike Kennedy told the Sydney Star Observer.
While most gay men continue to practice safe sex, Gay Community Period Surveys in all of the big states have recorded high levels of unprotected sex among gay men in recent years. In the most recent survey in Victoria, for example, about 30 percent of gay men said they had had unprotected anal intercourse with a casual partner on least one occasion in the previous six months.
Coupled with this, rates of STIs are also at an all-time high. Having an STI such as gonorrhoea, syphilis or chlamydia can increase the risk of getting or passing on HIV – some STIs cause small breaks in the skin through which the virus can pass, and having an STI increases the amount of virus in the semen.
Another issue that has been raised by several experts is poor communication between gay men when ‘serosorting’ (choosing a partner with the same HIV status in order to have unprotected sex). Questions have been raised about the ways in which gay men make assessments about the HIV status of their partners, especially in environments where there is less likelihood of an explicit discussion, such as sex-on-premises venues.
“Often the basis on [gay men are] making those assessments about whether someone is positive or negative is not accurate,” said Stevie Clayton, CEO of ACON, also in the SSO.
Surveys have shown that surprisingly high numbers of HIV-negative gay men expect casual partners to disclose whether they have HIV, but many HIV-positive gay men continue to struggle with disclosure in an environment where stigma and rejection remain real issues. “If your experience of disclosure is that you get dumped, you may choose not to disclose,” said ‘Allan’, an HIV-positive Melbourne man quoted in The Age.
Health officials and community representatives met in Melbourne in March to discuss the rises and plan possible educational responses over the coming months.
