Kirby Institute, UNSW |Media release | Published on
Over the last decade, HIV diagnoses in Australia have continued to follow a downward trend, according to new data released today by the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney.
While there were 722 new HIV diagnoses reported nationally in 2023 – up from 553 in 2022 – the researchers still reported a lower number of annual cases compared to pre-pandemic levels, and a long-term trend of declining diagnoses.
“The increase in 2023, compared to COVID pandemic years, is likely associated with the resumption of pre-COVID sexual behaviours, testing and the movement of people in and out of the country. However, encouragingly, new diagnoses are still lower than pre-pandemic levels, and there is no interruption to our long-term trend of decline,” says Dr Skye McGregor, lead of the Surveillance Innovation Group at the Kirby Institute.
Despite overall declines in HIV diagnoses in Australia, there has been a slight increase over the past 10 years among the small number of people living with HIV acquired through heterosexual sex. There have also been increases among people born overseas.
“While these are only small increases, when viewed against a backdrop of declines overall, this highlights where we need to focus additional efforts over the next decade,” says Dr McGregor.
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