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HIV

Categories: Infections and parasites, Women's health, Men's health

Topics: HIV, Sexually transmissible infections

Quick facts:

  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system and weakens the body's response to infection.
  • People who are diagnosed with HIV are said to be HIV positive.
  • If HIV is left untreated, it can affect a person's immune system, leaving the body less able to protect itself from disease and may progress to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Treatment

While there remains no cure for HIV, close adherence to HIV antiretroviral treatment (ART) enables people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives. ART stops the virus from multiplying, allowing the immune system to strengthen. Most ART is well tolerated and has few or no side effects.

Starting treatment for HIV as early as possible after diagnosis will improve your long-term health prospects.

The aim of treatment is to make your HIV viral load undetectable, and regular blood tests enable you to monitor the load. People with HIV who take ART as prescribed and achieve sustained viral suppression have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner. Along with other prevention methods like condoms and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), having an HIV undetectable viral load can offer effective protection against HIV.

Accessing HIV treatment for people who are eligible for Medicare

If you are a resident of Queensland living with HIV and have a Medicare card, you can get your HIV antiretroviral medication free from any pharmacy in Queensland with Queensland Health’s HIV medication co-payment waiver.

To be eligible you must:

  • be a resident of Queensland (this means you must have lived here for at least 3 months)
  • be a patient of a public hospital, sexual health clinic or S100 HIV community prescriber in Queensland (or interstate/specialist prescriber if you live in a border area)
  • be prescribed HIV medication that is listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
  • have your prescription filled at a Queensland pharmacy.

Note: the co-payment waiver is only for HIV antiretroviral medication for treatment of people with HIV. It does not include:

  • medication for any other symptoms of health conditions that result from HIV or treatment of any side-effects of HIV medication
  • HIV medication for HIV-negative people for the purpose of PrEP.

If you get your prescription from a community pharmacy (any pharmacy not in a public hospital) you will need to fill out a patient consent form for the pharmacy to share some of your details so the pharmacy can claim a reimbursement for the cost of your medication. This will include:

  • your name
  • your Medicare number
  • your postcode
  • details of the medication you were prescribed.

Once you have completed the form, it is valid for 3 years and you will need to show a copy of it every time you collect your prescription. You can either show a paper copy or a digital copy on your phone. If you decline to complete the patient consent form, you will be responsible for paying the co-payment for your HIV medication. Alternatively, you can visit a public hospital pharmacy where you do not need to complete a patient consent form to get your prescription filled.

The HIV medication you access via this co-payment waiver program will count towards your PBS patient safety net.

Accessing HIV treatment for people who are not eligible for Medicare

If you are living with HIV in Australia and are not eligible for Medicare, you can access free HIV-related medical care, pathology testing and treatment in Queensland through your local sexual health clinic or infectious diseases outpatient clinic.

To be eligible you must be:

  • ineligible for Medicare and living with HIV. Once you become eligible for Medicare, you can no longer access the Medicare-ineligible program but can access the HIV treatment co-payment waiver for free HIV treatment if you reside in Queensland
  • currently residing in Australia beyond a short-term stay (i.e. more than 3 months). Short-stay visitors and tourists are not eligible. You are only eligible to access this program while you are living in Australia
  • receiving your HIV medical care as an out-patient at a sexual health clinic or public hospital. If you are an in-patient at a hospital, you are not eligible for this program and will need to pay for your stay in hospital
  • prescribed a PBS-listed HIV medication dispensed from a public hospital pharmacy. You cannot have your HIV medication dispensed for free from a community pharmacy under this program.

This program operates Australia-wide and you can access it in any state or territory, although there may be variations in how the program is run in different jurisdictions.

Note: this program is only for HIV antiretroviral medication for treatment of people with HIV. It does not include:

  • medication or medical care for any other symptoms or health conditions resulting from HIV infection, comorbidities or management of any side-effects of HIV treatment
  • HIV medication for HIV-negative people for the purpose of PrEP.

Transmission

HIV may be transmitted when blood, semen, vaginal fluid or breast milk from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person. This can happen through:

  • sexual contact—condomless anal or vaginal sex
  • sharing needles or other injecting equipment contaminated with blood
  • mother to baby transmission—breastfeeding and childbirth
  • other blood-to-blood contact.

Pregnant women and mothers with HIV, who engage in HIV care, take ART as prescribed, and maintain an undetectable viral load, cannot transmit HIV to their babies during pregnancy, during vaginal birth or when breastfeeding.

The risk of getting HIV from donated blood and blood products in Australia is extremely low, as all blood, organs, tissues and semen donated in Australia are screened for HIV.

HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva, sweat, tears, mucous, vomit, urine or faeces. HIV cannot be transmitted by kissing, hugging, sharing eating utensils, shaking hands or any other everyday social contact.

It is recommended that you do not have sex if you or your sexual partner has a genital sore/ulcer or a sexually transmissible infection (STI) until it has been managed and treated. Untreated STIs and sores/ulcers enable HIV to spread more easily from person to person.

Oral sex has effectively no risk for the transmission of HIV, but there is a risk for the transmission of other STIs.

Prevention

In Australia, approximately 10% of people living with HIV have not been tested and are unaware of their HIV status.

Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent HIV infection, but there are two medications used to prevent HIV acquisition - pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).  More information about PEP and PrEP can be found at:

The best way to avoid getting HIV and other STIs through sexual contact is to practice safe sex and always use condoms when having vaginal or anal sex. Using water-based lubricant with condoms is recommended to reduce the risk of condom breakage.

Needles, syringes and other injecting or piercing equipment should never be shared or re-used as HIV can be transmitted through blood-contaminated equipment. Sterile injecting equipment is available through Needle and Syringe Programs or many local pharmacies.

Testing

Regular testing for HIV is important if you have had sex or are sexually active and/or if you have ever injected or currently inject drugs. It is advisable for you and your partner/s to have regular sexual health check-ups, especially if one or both of you have more than one sexual partner.

Some people recently exposed to HIV may experience flu-like symptoms, while others may not. After initial symptoms disappear, HIV may not cause symptoms for many years. During this time, the virus could be doing harm to your body and can be passed on to other people.

A specific HIV blood test is needed to detect HIV infection. It can take 2–12 weeks after someone has acquired HIV before it is able to be detected in the blood through a blood test. This is called the 'window period'.

If you have had condomless anal or vaginal sex or may have been exposed to HIV through sharing needles or other injecting equipment, it is recommended you have an HIV test. Most tests in Australia can detect HIV antibodies within 2–4 weeks after the risk event, with follow-up testing recommended if you are within the 12-week window period. During this time, always practice safe sex with condoms and do not donate blood.

Screening tests like HIV point-of-care tests (also known as 'rapid HIV tests') are readily available. More information can be found at: HIV point of care testing.

To find out where you can get a rapid HIV test use this clinic search tool.

HIV self-test kits are also available for free from Queensland Positive People (QPP). The HIV self-test kit uses a drop of blood from your fingertip and takes about 15 minutes to give you an accurate result. For more information and ordering, visit the QPP website.

If you are sexually active, it is recommended to have a sexual health check at least once a year. For gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men, testing every 3 months is typically recommended.

If you think you and/or your partner have been at risk of HIV infection, you can request a blood test through your local doctor or sexual health clinic.

If you find out you are HIV positive, anyone you have had unsafe anal or vaginal sex with should also be encouraged to be tested. If you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about informing your current or ex-partners, a member of your healthcare team can assist by contacting them on your behalf. Your name is not mentioned to ensure it is a confidential process. It is very important for your partner's health, and the health of other people with whom they have sex, that this contact tracing occurs.

Your local general practitioner, sexual health clinic or experienced contact tracers can provide further information and confidential assistance with HIV contact tracing.

Help and assistance

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Last updated:
23 October 2024
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