The end of AIDS in Australia? Scientists says deadly syndrome no longer public health issue

The number of cases of AIDS in Australia has plummeted, leading its scientists to claim victory in the battle against AIDS, as it has been “pretty much dealt with” as a public health issue. However, this does not mean the HIV does not remain a problem.

At its peak in the 1990s, around 1,000 Australians were dying each year from AIDS. However, the researchers form the Kirby and Peter Doherty institutes and the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations have announced that they are well and truly in control of the syndrome, with numbers being so low, they are not even recorded.

"These days we don't even monitor it, it's a transitory thing for most people; people have AIDS, then they go on treatment and they don't have AIDS anymore," Professor Andrew Grulich, head of the HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program at the Kirby Institute told the ABC.

AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is a condition caused by the HIV virus. HIV works to destroy the immune system, so symptoms of the condition can vary from person to person as they stem from opportunistic infections. AIDS is considered to be the final stage of the infection, when the virus inflicts significant damage to the immune system. However people can have HIV without acquiring AIDS.

A key part in the battle has been the introduction of anti-retroviral medication in the mid-1990s, which is important to help stop those who have tested HIV positive from developing AIDS.