Research released at ICAAP shows epidemic reaching crisis point in region – Australian Government must act now!

A satellite forum to the 9^th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) in Bali Indonesia has heard the latest epidemiological data on HIV transmission, showing the virus sweeping unchecked through the big cities of the region with 200 gay and bisexual men a day becoming infected.

A comprehensive report to the 2009 APCOM MSM/TG and HIV Forum has heard about a staggeringly high incidence of HIV infection, particularly amongst young men in Bangkok, Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and amongst transgender people in Indonesia. Nearly 30% of gay and bisexual men in Bangkok and Yangon are HIV positive and man other Asian cities have rates of 5-10% and growing. 34% of transgender people in Jakarta are positive.

The forum heard that the epidemic is increasingly concentrated amongst gay and bisexual men and not generalised amongst the wider community, with the exception of Papua New Guinea.

Responding to the data, the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) has called for urgent Australian Government funding for regional HIV prevention measures that the Australian HIV experience demonstrates will be effective in slowing transmission rates.

AFAO Executive Director Don Baxter – who chaired part of the APCOM forum and leads an Australian delegation to ICAAP – said AusAID needed to be central to a regional solution to the emerging crisis.

“The forum was told that every day of delay in responding to this accelerating health crisis results in another 200 men being infected with HIV in the region. Every year that we delay another 73,000 new infections occur regionally. This compares to 20,000 infections in Australia over 20 years.”

“The cultural, tourism and business ties that bind us to our region mean Australia cannot be blind to this situation on our doorstep,” Mr Baxter said.

“The window for effective prevention is still open, but it is closing rapidly. Many Asian cities are approaching take-off point for the disaster that has already occurred in Bangkok and Yangon.Investment put in place now will avoid exponential HIV treatments costs within 5 years. Australia, because our own epidemic has been primarily among gay men, has the skills and expertise available to make a tremendous contribution.”

Mr Baxter said that Australia’s current investment in Asia Pacific HIV prevention involved contributing more than $60 million over 5 years with injecting drug use, compared to less than $1 million for HIV prevention among gay and bisexual men.

“The figures outlined here in Bali demonstrate unambiguously how these figures are totally out of proportion to the epidemiological reality that confronts us. Male-to-male sex will contribute more than 50% of new infections in the Asia Pacific by 2020 unless AusAID acts quickly on its recent commendable scoping study and invests in substantial programs immediately – before the window of opportunity slams shut,” Mr Baxter said.