Australia Aims to Eradicate HIV Transmission by 2030
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Canberra, Nov 28 (NationPress) The Australian government has established a target to eradicate the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the nation by 2030.
The Minister for Health, Mark Butler, unveiled Australia's ninth National HIV Strategy for 2024-2030 on Thursday, characterizing it as a pivotal step towards achieving the goal of eliminating HIV transmission in Australia, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
"Through this strategy, we lay down the foundation to become the first nation to virtually eliminate HIV transmission by 2030," the strategy articulated.
Data from the strategy indicates that HIV diagnoses in Australia saw a 33 percent decline between 2014 and 2023.
It was projected that the overall prevalence of HIV in Australia in 2023 stood at 0.14 percent.
"In the four decades since HIV/AIDS emerged in Australia, we have achieved significant milestones," Butler expressed in a statement.
The strategy highlighted that, upon the elimination of HIV transmission, the focus would transition towards assisting individuals with the virus in leading healthy lives.
Butler assured that no one living with HIV would be overlooked and emphasized that Australia would persist in providing high-quality care to all individuals diagnosed with HIV.
The inaugural National HIV Strategy was launched in 1989.
