The Federal Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP recently announced the approval of an HIV self-testing device for sale in Australia. This is a major step forward in our HIV elimination strategies and one that will enable increased frequency of testing, and lead to earlier diagnosis, treatment and care.
“We were quietly confident the HIV self-testing device would be approved,” said Burnet Institute’s Head of Public Health, Professor Mark Stoové. “However, until it was actually announced we could not officially go forward with our plans to trial different implementation strategies.”
Largely due to the convenience and confidentiality it affords, HIV self-testing is considered an essential tool to facilitate earlier diagnosis of HIV. This is critical if Australia is to reach its target of eliminating HIV transmission in Australia.
Professor Stoové has always held the view that the introduction of the HIV self-testing device in Australia is an opportunity we can’t afford to waste, and that without a solid implementation strategy there is the danger the tests won’t have the required impact.
“We need to get this right,” Professor Stoové said. “Now, with thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are in a position to do just that – get it right.”
“I would like to personally thank everyone who contributed to the HIV self-test implementation trial appeal. When, in the future, you read about the positive impact these tests are having here in Australia, you can know you were a part of it.”
This is a revolutionary moment in Australia’s fight against HIV, and it is through the generosity of our donors that we are able to make the most of it.
“We can’t really understand HIV without understanding pleasure and love and addiction and stigma, the politics of division and the politics of inclusion, and countless other factors that affect HIV vulnerability. We can’t understand HIV without understanding community.”
This is a revolutionary moment in Australia’s fight against HIV, and it is through the generosity of our donors that we are able to make the most of it.
“We can’t really understand HIV without understanding pleasure and love and addiction and stigma, the politics of division and the politics of inclusion, and countless other factors that affect HIV vulnerability. We can’t understand HIV without understanding community.”
“The moments I’m most proud of and those I remember most fondly, are those where I am most connected to community. The most impactful research I’ve done is also the research that is most connected to community.”
PROFESSOR MARK STOOVÉ, HEAD OF PUBLIC HEALTH, KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE VICTORIAN WORLD AIDS DAY 2018 LAUNCH