Epidemiological pattern of HIV infection in Australia

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Australia has been transmitted primarily through sex between men. Multiple sources of information, including backprojection from AIDS cases and longitudinal studies involving repeat testing for HIV antibody, indicate that the rate of HIV transmission through sex between men reached a peak in 1983-1984 and declined rapidly in subsequent years. However, there is also evidence that HIV infection continues to be transmitted through sex between men in Australia. Intravenous drug use has been reported by only a small proportion of people diagnosed with HIV infection in Australia, and surveys of intravenous drug users have found a low rate of infection apart from in men who had homosexual contract. Behavioral studies have found that sharing of injecting equipment has continued, suggesting that low infection rates may be a consequence of sharing patterns. Heterosexual transmission seems to have been infrequent in Australia, perhaps because of the low rate of HIV infection in intravenous drug users.