TasP and PrEP: AFAO Members Forum

The afternoon session on day one of the AFAO Members Forum involved robust discussions about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP). 

Presentations looked at key areas including research, clinical guidelines, regulation and advocacy, both in Australia and the international context.

TasP panel discussion. L-R: Colin Batrouney (VAC), Cam Cox (Scarlet Alliance),
Bridget Haire (AFAO), Robert Mitchell (NAPWHA), Karen Price (ACON)

Impressions from AFAO’s National Gay Men’s HIV Health Promotion Conference

"Liberty leading the People" by Eugène Delacroix,
was a popular trigger for musings on the meanings
of  the prevention 'revolution' - she featured on the slides
of four presenters. 

These are some impressions from AFAO’s National Gay Men’s HIV Health Promotion Conference held late May. The conference was a place for many discussions. The development of  new HIV prevention options that can be added to our existing tools  was described as a 'revolution' by some, and as an 'evolution' by others. Whether it is thought of as a revolution or an evolution, several major ways to intensify HIV prevention were discussed throughout the conference. 

Health Promotion Conference Resolutions

The following resolutions were passed unanimously at the closing session of the conference.
Resolution on the breakdown of the Queensland HIV Partnership Response
Resolution on HIV Treatments Access
Resolution on HIV Testing Access

Sustaining the HIV response

Speakers at the opening sessions of AFAO's Gay Men's HIV Health Promotion Conference this morning reiterated the value and effectiveness of Australia's partnership approach to HIV prevention.

Some brief reflections on PSF 2012

L-R: Rob Lake (AFAO Executive
director) and Michael Hurley
(PSF facillitator)

Michael Hurley (Adjunct Assoc. Professor, ARCSHS) who facilitated the Positive Services Forum concluded the forum proceedings by providing his reflections on some of the overriding themes that emerged across the two days.

He challenged us to consider how HIV is perceived within the context of public health. With the rapid decline in mortality directly related to HIV, the development of co-morbidities, and the increasing life-expectancy, he said that the story of HIV in Australia is “not a straight-forward story to tell”.

Michael observed that there were a number of dualities in the current response to HIV. For example: the existence of ‘old epidemics’ and ‘new epidemics’ in Australia generates tensions for service providers and require new approaches; the cultural versus the biomedical (eg. safe sex practices versus treatment as prevention); the public health and the counter-public health approach (public health versus criminalisation).