Rethink on HIV

IT SEEMS extraordinary that the Federal Government should fund a team of Victorian scientists to track down what groups or behaviours are responsible for the increasing rates of HIV infections over the past three years, "Monash team starts mapping HIV rise" (The Age, 14/5). Outsiders, in particular, need to study the Victorian scene.

Top HIV/AIDS adviser Dr Michael Wooldridge has already fingered the Victorian Government as being the culprit, just recently describing its HIV prevention policies as hopeless when compared with NSW. Clearly, Victorian health policies in regard to HIV infection control need to be put under the microscope and measured against performances in other states.

Most worrying is that the latest plan will look at the movement of HIV-positive people across Australia. Intended or not, this will fuel both stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS — the very turbojet that's seen the pandemic infect 65 million people worldwide, at the current rate of 5 million people a year.

Brian Haill
President,
The Australian AIDS Fund Incorporated,
Melbourne, Australia.


Email: bhaill@bigpond.net.au
Website: www.aids.net.au