The AIDS epidemic in Australia is over but the rate of HIV in Australia is still too high, and has in fact increased significantly over the past decade.
The number of people being diagnosed with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) each year is now so low that the nation's top scientists have declared the age of AIDS has come to an end.
Because of the effectiveness of treatment and early diagnosis of HIV very few people are progressing to AIDS, a "miraculous" outcome which has been a long-time coming, says Associate Professor Mark Stoove, head of AIDS research at the Burnet Institute.
"What we've seen over the last decade, decade-and-a-half is this continual decrease in the number of AIDS cases being notified. While it is miraculous considering where we have come from in relation to the epidemic, it's something that we have been progressively working towards over the last decade or two," Prof Stoove said.
HIV transmissions, however, still sit at historical highs in Australia.
There are over 1000 new HIV diagnoses a year - that represents an increase of about 30 per cent over the past decade.
Prof Stoove warns we must not become complacent on this public health issue.
"There are still far too many HIV transmissions occurring in Australia and many are preventable.
"We need to focus on ensuring that we maintain our messages around primary prevention in terms of people using condoms, if they're placing themselves in risky situations," he said.
In terms of prevention, Prof Stoove says there needs to be a maintained focus on the gay community, who are at high risk of HIV, and on timely diagnosis.
HIV is no longer a death sentence. The treatments available are so effective that people diagnosed with HIV can expect to live a near normal lifestyle and lifespan.
But of the approximately 150 AIDS notifications in Australia each year the majority of them present for HIV testing too late.
They are diagnosed on their first test, having been infected with HIV six to eight years prior, says Professor Andrew Grulich, from the Kirby Institute at UNSW.
These individuals who don't get tested, for a range of complex reasons, can become quite ill.
"Most of them we put on treatment and they get better but in some cases were are still seeing AIDS-related cancers that can result in death, but its quite uncommon these days," Prof Grulich said.
Gay men make up the majority of AIDS cases in Australia, followed by men from sub-saharan African and South East Asian countries.
Prof Grulich says women are also over-represented in this small group of people - highlighting the need for everyone to think about their sexual history.
"If they've had multiple sexual partners without condoms then they should get tested because the great news is that the treatments are really excellent today," Prof Grulich said.
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