ACON's drive to end HIV by 2020

ACON's drive to end HIV by 2020

To coincide with this year’s Mardi Gras season ACON is launching a campaign to drive HIV testing in the hopes of ending HIV transmission by 2020.

The video was produced by Vokyo Entertainment and features interviews with members of the creative, health, research and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community.

Sydney-based designer Vince Frost, Olympic champion Matthew Mitcham, SameSame’s Tim Duggan and ACON’s chief executive Nic Parkhill all feature.

Increasing testing rates among gay men is vital to ACON’s ‘Ending HIV’ strategy according to Parkhill.

“We estimate that up to 30% of HIV cases in NSW are undiagnosed and it’s these people, who are unaware of their status, who we particularly want to work with.

“Once people know their status, they can take action to improve their health outcomes and prevent passing on the virus. And the only way they can know their status is to get tested regularly, at least twice a year.

“We won’t be able to achieve the goal of ending the HIV epidemic in NSW by the end of the decade unless we significantly increase testing rates among gay men – it’s that simple.”

A temporary HIV rapid testing shop-front has been established at 118 Oxford Street for the duration of the Sydney Mardi Gras season.




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