HIV diagnoses in people aged 50+ has dropped by about a third since 2012 in Australia.
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Data compiled by the University of New South Wales' Kirby Institute shows in that age category, there were 127 new cases advised in 2021, compared with 178 in 2012 - a drop of 29 per cent.
In 2021, 48 notifications were to people who reported heterosexual sex as exposure risk - or 37.8 per cent of all notifications. Of these, 12 were female, 36 were male.
Meanwhile, 72 cases were to people who reported male-to-male sex as exposure risk - or 57.7 per cent.
The most cases ever diagnosed in that age group was 2017 with 211. The earliest record available was for 1984, of which 33 cases were detected that year.
The data shows 29,460 people were living with HIV in Australia in 2021.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, HIV causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV is transmitted sexually, by blood-to-blood contact including through injecting drug use, and from mother to child.
The first case in Australia was in 1981.
The 12th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science was held in Brisbane in July. For more information about the event, click here.
The full Kirby Institute report about HIV can be found here.
HIV treatment for people not on Medicare
People with HIV without Medicare will access free or subsidised treatment from hospital pharmacies or sexual health clinics, depending on which state or territory they live in.
Previously, people with HIV without Medicare accessed treatment through an industry-sponsored compassionate access scheme.
The change has come from a $39 million project by the federal government.
To ensure medical professionals understand what these changes mean and how to provide accurate information and advice to clients, the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine has released state-specific webinars and online resources on these new protocols.
Society chief executive officer Alexis Apostolellis said it's crucial that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, community health workers and sexual health workers are equipped with the information they need to realise these significant changes.
"These new arrangements will increase access to treatment for hundreds of people with HIV in Australia - a significant step towards achieving Australia's goal of ending HIV transmission by 2030," he said.
The video, and other information, can be found here.
