Sydney neighborhood approaches declaration to eliminate AIDS transmission

A neighborhood in Sydney that was previously a hotspot for HIV/AIDS in Australia is now set to become the world's first location where the virus is no longer transmitted, according to researchers on Monday.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS aims to end AIDS as a global health threat by 2030. To achieve this, the number of new HIV infections must be reduced by 90 percent by the end of the decade, compared to 2010.

In the Inner Sydney neighborhood, new HIV infections among gay men have decreased by 88 percent between 2010 and 2022, as announced by researchers at the International AIDS Society's scientific conference held in Brisbane, Australia, between July 23 and 26.

Andrew Grulich, an epidemiologist at the University of New South Wales, told Agence France-Presse, "We are on track" to achieve the goal.

Only 11 new HIV infections were recorded in the area last year, "a very low number for a place that was once an HIV hotspot" in Australia, according to Grulich.

It's estimated that more than 20 percent of gay men in this area, including Darlinghurst suburb, represent the vast majority of HIV cases in the city.

However, Grulich pointed out that this doesn't mean they are on the verge of eradicating HIV in this city, with a population of 5.2 million. He explained, "We can't eliminate HIV unless we have a vaccine and a cure."

On the other hand, several parts of the United Kingdom and Western Europe have seen a rapid decline in new HIV infections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP