Frequently asked questions
What do we know about HIV/AIDS among Indigenous people?
- What is HIV/AIDS? (June 2003)
- What do we know about notifications of HIV/AIDS in the Indigenous population? (June 2003)
- What do we know about AIDS among Indigenous people? (June 2003)
- What have been the responses to HIV/AIDS among Indigenous people? (June 2003)
For more detailed information about HIV/AIDS among Indigenous Australians view the HealthInfoNet HIV/AIDS webpage
| Please reference this document
as: Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet (2003) Frequently asked questions: what do we know about HIV/AIDS among Indigenous people? Retrieved [access date] http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/html/html_keyfacts/faq/faq_specific_health/hiv_aids.htm |
What do we know about HIV/AIDS among Indigenous people?
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects and destroys white blood cells which contribute to the immune system [1]. The virus reduces the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers, thus increasing the likelihood of opportunistic infections and some types of cancer. The virus can cause specific diseases of its own and, at later stages, when the body's resistance is weakened, AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) can occur.
What do we know about notifications of HIV/AIDS in the Indigenous population? (June 2003)
In the period 1997-2001 there were 76 HIV diagnoses and 26 AIDS diagnoses among Indigenous people [2].
Rates of HIV and AIDS diagnoses, derived from these numbers and using population figures provided by the ABS, are similar for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. The crude notification rate for HIV infection in 1997-2001 was 3.7 cases per 100,000 for the Indigenous population and 3.6 cases per 100,000 in the non-Indigenous population. These rates are lower than those reported for 1992-1998: 5.2 per 100,000 for Indigenous people and 5.5 per 100,000 for non-Indigenous people [3]. (The figures quoted here have been aggregated nationally, and may conceal differences across Australia, particularly between rural/remote and urban areas.)
The crude rates of AIDS diagnoses were 1.3 per 100,000 for the Indigenous population and 1.4 for the non-Indigenous population.
What do we know about AIDS among Indigenous people? (June 2003)
Over the period 1992-2001 there have been a number of differences between the Indigenous and total populations in AIDS diagnoses.
The median age of diagnosis of AIDS among Indigenous people was 32 years, compared with almost 37 years for those in the total population [2].
Around 17% of cases of AIDS reported among Indigenous people have occurred in females, compared with less than 5% of cases among the total population [2]. This reflects the fact that 29% of cases among Indigenous people were acquired by heterosexual contact, compared with less than 7% of cases among the total population.
Male homosexual contact without injecting drug use was responsible for 82% of cases in the total population and for 50% in the Indigenous population [2]. A history of male homosexual contact with injecting drug use accounted for 5% of cases in the total population and 15% in the Indigenous population. Injecting drug use without male homosexual contact was responsible for 3% of cases in the total population and for almost 5% in the Indigenous population.
What have been the responses to HIV/AIDS among Indigenous people? (June 2003)
Advice for organisations dealing with HIV/AIDS is offered in The management of HIV/AIDS: a resource guide for Indigenous primary health care organisations, which was developed as an initiative of the National Indigenous Australians' Sexual Health Strategy [1].
For prevention strategies, the ANCARD Working Party identified that there was a need for the development and maintenance of high-quality health information systems that provide communities with timely information on the changing profile of HIV and its related risk factors [4].
Treatment of a patient within their community may not always be possible [1]. Community infrastructure is often limited and access to general health care, hospitals and specialist care may be restricted. Indigenous people living with HIV/AIDS may leave their communities to find care and support in the larger cities, particularly as many people in Indigenous communities still fear and misunderstand HIV/AIDS.
It is recognised generally that HIV/AIDS policies and strategies need to a part of, or at least integrated with, overall STI strategies [1]. In this way: they will assist in addressing sexual health issues in the community; attention to confidentiality will improve people's confidence in the whole service; and interaction with the community in developing the policies will provide vital awareness about HIV/AIDS and STIs.
References
1. ANCAHRD (2000) The management of HIV/AIDS. A
resource guide for Indigenous primary health care organisations.
Canberra: ANCAHRD, Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care
2. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical
Research (2002) HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible
infections in Australia annual surveillance report 2002. Sydney:
National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research
3.Guthrie JA, Dore GJ, McDonald AM, Kaldor JM (2000)
HIV and AIDS in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: 1992-1998.
Medical Journal of Australia;172:266-269
4. ANCARD Working Party on Indigenous Australians'
Sexual Health (1997) The National Indigenous Australians' sexual
health strategy 1996-97 to 1998-99. A report of the ANCARD working party
on Indigenous Australian's sexual health.
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