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AskDocQ: U=U means if a person with HIV is undetectable, they can’t pass it on
A person with HIV who is on treatment and is undetectable cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partner. There is no risk. Zero. Brisbane LGBTIQ health specialist Dr Fiona Bisshop explains why. I need to have a rant about U=U and HIV. I’ve written about this before, and sorry for repeating myself, but every time I think …
OPINION: Social media shaming and blaming shows HIV stigma persists
The response on social media last month to a Sydney PrEP user who shared his story of contracting HIV while taking the prevention medication has shown that HIV stigma is still sadly persistent, writes Douglas Billing. After scrolling through threads on social media following the articles that have been published regarding a man who has …
AskDocQ: Keep calm and stay PrEP’d
Australian Steve Spencer has become the seventh person worldwide known to have contracted HIV while taking prevention drug PrEP, out of an estimated 450,000 users around the globe. The medication has proved to be a highly effective HIV prevention strategy and has dramatically reduced rates of infection, writes Brisbane LGBTIQ health specialist Dr Fiona Bisshop. …
Sydney man who contracted HIV while taking PrEP opens up about diagnosis
A Sydney man has become the second gay Australian to contract HIV while taking prevention medication PrEP. Steve Spencer returned a positive diagnosis in December during one of his regular sexual health tests, a requirement for people taking the pre-exposure prophylaxis pills. “It was a surprise and a shock,” the 27-year-old told ABC News. “I …
AskDocQ: Here’s your survival guide for your Mardi Gras weekend
It’s Mardi Gras season, when the eastern seaboard of Australia is inundated with rainbow-festooned tourists, and there’s a mad rush for tickets to the parties and after-parties and pool parties and recovery parties. If you’ve spent the last few months working on your abs and butt to show off those new shorty shorts you’ve bought, …
Condoms, Condoms And More Condoms!
No one wants an STI (sexually transmitted infection), nevertheless STI rates have increased in Queensland, particularly in men who have sex with men. It’s time to say no and Stop the Rise of STIs like chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis. PrEP is great. One daily pill decreases the risk of contracting HIV and its introduction has …
Record High Number Of HIV-Positive Gay Men With An Undetectable Viral Load
New research has shown that a record 92 per cent of gay and bisexual men living with HIV are on treatment and achieving an undetectable viral load. Having an undetectable viral load means the men can’t pass HIV on to others. That number is at a record high for the third year in a row, …
Queensland Government Announces HIV Prevention Funding For QuAC
The Queensland AIDS Council will receive $870,000 in state government funding in a bid to get more Queenslanders at risk of HIV to take up prevention medication PrEP. PrEP, which stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a once-daily pill that has been found to dramatically reduce the risk of HIV transmission in HIV-negative people, in conjunction …
Queensland Government Pulls Funding For PrEP Trial 18 Months Early
Queensland’s Health Department will close the state’s trial of HIV prevention medication PrEP 18 months earlier than planned, removing $740,000 in funding from the Queensland AIDS Council. PrEP, which stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a once-daily pill that has been found to dramatically reduce the risk of HIV transmission in HIV-negative people, in conjunction with …
AskDocQ: Should Transgender People Consider Taking HIV Drug PrEP?
Amidst all the press releases and updates on PrEP and HIV, there’s one group that may sometimes miss out, or may think the message is not for them, and that’s transgender folk. Often it can seem like all the talk around HIV prevention is aimed squarely at cis guys who have sex with guys, but …