{"id":18263,"date":"2012-11-30T21:47:01","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T11:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=18263"},"modified":"2023-12-21T14:41:16","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T04:41:16","slug":"hiv-tests-still-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/11\/30\/hiv-tests-still-important\/","title":{"rendered":"HIV Tests Still Important"},"content":{"rendered":"

November 30, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service is taking advantage of World AIDS Day (December 1) to remind South Burnett residents of the importance of regular screening.<\/p>\n

Director of Public Medicine Dr John\u00a0Hooper said that in communities with fewer HIV infections and lower public visibility, \u00a0continued awareness and screening by all those who may have some\u00a0risk was crucial to decreasing clusters of notifications.<\/p>\n

He said people were being asked to take\u00a0personal responsibility in the fight to stop the spread of HIV\/AIDS by being informed\u00a0about how to protect themselves and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some people this will mean having a regular six-monthly HIV test,\u201d\u00a0Dr Hooper said.<\/p>\n

He said the theme for World AIDS Day 2012 was is \u201cHIV is still\u00a0here\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe aim is to encourage all Australians to be aware of the prevalence of HIV\/AIDS;\u00a0to take action to reduce the transmission of HIV by promoting safe sex practices; and\u00a0to accept the reality that there are individuals living with HIV\/AIDS present in our\u00a0community,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cToowoomba HIV services continue to be delivered from Kobi House at Toowoomba\u00a0Hospital in partnership with a range of other government and non-government\u00a0service providers and community-based organisations.<\/p>\n

Dr Hooper said approximately 80 individuals were accessing treatment for the disease at Toowoomba Hospital “but experience tells us there will also be a\u00a0number of people who do not know they have HIV and who may be putting others at\u00a0risk”.<\/p>\n

In 2011, 195 Queenslanders were diagnosed with HIV infection. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This is down 10 from 2010 (205 infections) but is still the second highest recorded figure. Despite\u00a0the stabilisation of notifications in 2011, there has been a general increasing trend in\u00a0notifications since 1998 in Queensland.<\/p>\n

Consistent with previous years, in 2011 males continued to make up the majority of\u00a0new HIV notifications in Queensland (174 or 89 per cent). Of these, 133 (or 76 per cent) were men\u00a0who have sex with men.<\/p>\n

In 2011, there were 21 new HIV notifications amongst women in Queensland. This is down\u00a0from the 32 female notifications in 2010.<\/p>\n

Almost 60 per cent of females diagnosed in 2011\u00a0reported they were originally from a country where the prevalence of HIV is high. This\u00a0is the highest annual number reported for this exposure on record.<\/p>\n

In 2011, there were 32 notifications of new AIDS diagnoses in Queensland. This is\u00a0up 10 from 2010.<\/p>\n

A total of\u00a075 per cent \u00a0of the people diagnosed with AIDS in 2011 were late presenters, ie people\u00a0with an AIDS diagnosis within 90 days of their HIV diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the reasons why we promote testing so strongly because treatment\u00a0can prevent progression to AIDS and other complications,\u201d Dr Hooper said.<\/p>\n

An estimated 2267 people living with HIV\/AIDS were accessing care in Queensland\u00a0in 2011, although the true number may be higher.<\/p>\n

\u201cHIV can be transmitted sexually or though blood to blood contact. Left untreated,\u00a0infection with HIV can eventually lead to the development of life-threatening illnesses.\u00a0It is at this stage that a person is said to have Acquired Immune Deficiency\u00a0Syndrome (AIDS),” Dr Hooper said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHIV cannot be cured, but it is easily prevented and today\u2018s treatments are\u00a0dramatically improved. Condoms and lubrication remain the best defence for many\u00a0people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe strongly urge men who have sex with other men, even if only occasionally, to be\u00a0screened by their GP or make an appointment with the Kobi team on (07) 4616-6446.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service is taking advantage of World AIDS Day (December 1) to remind South Burnett residents of the importance of regular screening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[172,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHIV Tests Still Important - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/11\/30\/hiv-tests-still-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HIV Tests Still Important - southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service is taking advantage of World AIDS Day (December 1) to remind South Burnett residents of the importance of regular screening.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/11\/30\/hiv-tests-still-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-11-30T11:47:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-21T04:41:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/11\/30\/hiv-tests-still-important\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/11\/30\/hiv-tests-still-important\/\",\"name\":\"HIV Tests Still Important - 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