HIV Australia | Vol. 9 No. 3 | November 2011

By Ben Wilcock

‘The Drama Downunder’ is a campaign produced by the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) that aims to encourage homosexually active men in Australia to improve their sexual health knowledge, and to get regular sexual health checks.

The campaign was originally launched in 2006, with a second phase released in 2009. Building on the ongoing success on the campaign, AFAO has developed a new range of messages and imagery for a new phase of the campaign, to maintain a consistent message about regular testing.

The campaign also features a newly updated website, www.thedramadownunder.info, providing a comprehensive range of information about STIs, testing and treatment, vaccinations, as well as lists of clinics where men can get tested in their area (including interactive maps).

The site also features two interactive services. The first is a reminder service where users can sign up for SMS or email reminders to book in for their sexual health checks. The second is a partner notification service where people who have recently been diagnosed with an STI can notify their partners via SMS or email, anonymously if they wish, in order to look after the health of their partners.

As well as regular testing helping with good sexual health generally, it can also help in the prevention of HIV. There is particular concern that rising STI rates are partly driving new HIV diagnoses. Having an STI can dramatically increase the potential for HIV to be transmitted during sex as sores and other irritations caused by STIs (some of which cannot be seen or felt) provide an effective gateway for the virus to pass from one body to the next.

Getting an individual to change their behavior takes time and is part of an ongoing process, explains AFAO president Graham Brown. 'Increasing rates of STIs are still a major concern for gay men. For maximum impact and to get more men going for regular sexual health checks, a campaign such as this needs to be sustained over an extended period of time.', he said.

STIs are of particular concern to people living with HIV. The campaign also provides information specifically for HIV-positive men, providing information on the impact of having HIV and another infection, such as syphilis, hepatitis B or C. It includes information on the affect STIs can have on HIV viral load, as well as how having HIV and a STI can make the STI more difficult to treat.

The website also provides information on how to reduce the impact of STIs on the health of people living with HIV, including recommending having full sexual health checks when HIV monitoring blood work is done, getting vaccinated for hepatitis A and B, and using condoms. As Robert Mitchell, President of the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) said 'Having a STI can have a large impact on the health of someone living with HIV. This campaign explains what these impacts are and shows why regular sexual health checks are important for all HIV-positive people.'

The new campaign materials feature a model with various props representing different messages about sexual health. In some of the images he is in various states of drama, downunder. This range of images represents the fact that, while many STIs are all too obvious—being painful and/or irritating—others can have no symptoms at all. This makes regular sexual health checks vital for all sexually active men.

The Drama Downunder man will be seen on billboards and Adshels, on public transport, in press ads, in ads on gay chat-sites, facebook and on other websites, and in a range of items containing sexual health information and referrals, including a booklet, posters, and cruise cards for distribution at gay events and clinics. Copies of the campaign materials are available from state-based AIDS councils and People Living with HIV organisations.