ASHM Report Back
Clinical posts from members and guests of the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) from various international medical and scientific conferences on HIV, AIDS, viral hepatitis, and sexual health.
Innovation Matters
Interventions internationally which have reduced access gaps
In 2009, UNAIDS set an ambitious 90-90-90 treatment target to virtually eliminate HIV transmission. The goal was that 90% of people living with HIV would know their status, 90% would be on ART, and 90% would have viral suppression. Yesterday we heard about how these targets have been achieved in NSW and are on their way to being achieved in Australia, overall.
Hard work is left to be done in the remaining 10-10-10 who have not yet benefited from Australia’s improvements in early diagnosis, early treatment, treatment as prevention and PrEP.
Dr Jeffrey Klausner from the University of California, Los Angeles, is an expert and innovator in this area. He shared ideas that have worked internationally to close the gap in hard to reach groups and with limited resources including ART and HIV self-test vending machines. He has been involved in an online PrEP clinic that offers online eligibility screening and pathology ordering with a telehealth consultation and mail delivered PrEP. Given the inequitable access to and uptake of PrEP in Australia, the increasing demand for PrEP and the corresponding pressure on clinical services to deliver PrEP, this is a model well worth considering.
HIV & AIDS: Theme C Symposium – Addressing access and inequity in Australia’s HIV prevention response.