NAPWA

In this current climate of pro-treatment, people who are not taking antiretroviralA medication or other substance which is active against retroviruses such as HIV. therapy (ART) can feel like a minority whose voice is not being heard.

This is why NAPWHA has partnered with researchers Limin Mao and Henrike Körner from the National Centre in HIV Social Research to conduct interviews with people who are currently not on ART. read more »

Currently, ART is only subsidised through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme[Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme] The federal government program which subsidises medication costs in Australia. Anti-HIV drugs are part of a special part of the PBS called Section 100 (S100) which is used for expensive, highly specialised drugs. for PLHIVPerson (or people) Living with HIV. This term is now preferred over the older PLWHAPerson (or People) Living with HIV/AIDS.. commencing treatment with a CD4 T-cell count of less than 500 or who are symptomatic.

The Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHMAustralasian Society for HIV Medicine. The peak Australasian organisation representing the medical and health sector in HIV/AIDS and related areas. ) has called for a review of these criteria. read more »

A review of HIV surveillance, clinicalPertaining to or founded on observation and treatment of participants, as distinguished from theoretical or basic science. cohortIn epidemiologyThe branch of medical science that deals with the study of incidence and distribution and control of a disease in a population., a group of individuals with some characteristics in common. A cohort study is a special kind of clinical trialA clinical trial is a research study to answer specific questions about vaccines or new therapies or new ways of using known treatments. Clinical trials are used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe and effective. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to find treatments that work in people. Trials are in four phases: Phase I tests a new drug or treatment in a small group; Phase II expands the study to a larger group of people; Phase III expands the study to an even larger group of people; and Phase IV takes place after the drug or treatment has been licensed and marketed. which looks at a treatment or treatment strategy in a cohort of people. and social research data suggests that many people living with HIV (PLHIVPerson (or people) Living with HIV. This term is now preferred over the older PLWHAPerson (or People) Living with HIV/AIDS..) in Australia delay, cease or do not take up HIV antriretroviral therapy (ART) due to structural and psychological barriers.

This paper is a Poster presented at the Australasian HIV/AIDS Conference, Melbourne, 2012 read more »

The Health Minister Tanya Plibersek announced a new $4 billion dental health care plan at the end of August, targeted at children and low-income adults. But to pay for it, she axed the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (CDDS), which provided Medicare rebates for people who need dental care because of a chronic disease. read more »

Hard copies of the latest CHECKLIST GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV are now available from the NAPWHA office in Sydney. This handy booklet will help you make the best decisions about your health, care and treatment whether you’ve just found out you’re positive or you’re a long-termer. read more »

Experience has shown that health outcomes are better if treatment and care is planned in partnership with your doctor.

That’s why we’ve updated our popular Checklist guide for people with HIV. read more »

In order to deliver its much vaunted budget surplus, the Gillard government is gambling on clinching parliamentary support to shut down the existing medicare-funded dental scheme. The program has blown out from $377 million to $1.9 billion in four years. read more »

The picture of HIV care and treatment has changed dramatically since HIV first emerged thirty years ago. Today we have important new scientific information about HIV that is changing the picture of HIV treatment for those already infected and providing new ways to help prevent transmission to others. read more »

NAPWHA has welcomed the release of updated guidelines for treating HIV issued yesterday by the US Department of Health and Human Services. In a major shift, the new guidelines recommend that all people with HIV consider going on HIV treatment, whether recently infected or with more advanced HIV disease.

The new guidelines also note recent evidence about the additional benefit of taking HIV treatment in reducing HIV transmission and recommend that HIV treatment be offered to HIV positive people who are at risk of transmitting HIV to sexual partners. read more »

A new scheme, the Enhanced Medication Access Scheme (EMA), will provide improved access to HIV medications for PLHIVPerson (or people) Living with HIV. This term is now preferred over the older PLWHAPerson (or People) Living with HIV/AIDS.. in NSW. The scheme, announced by the Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner, on World AIDS Day last year, will allow eligible participants to get medications from a number of selected community pharmacies or mailed to a preferred address. read more »