HIV awareness campaign launches in Queensland

The Queensland Department of Health and the state’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS have launched a new campaign to tackle rising HIV infection rates, with HIV diagnoses in Queensland having doubled in the past ten years.

Aimed at increasing HIV awareness in Queensland, the campaign E.N.D. H.I.V. encourages people to take a photo of themselves holding a sign with the name of the campaign and submit it to the website.

The Ministerial Advisory Committee Chair Dr Darren Russell said the campaign’s goal is to meet a target of a 50 per cent reduction in HIV transmissions by 2015.

“This is such a vital part of the campaign which will initiate conversations about HIV again – something which has dropped off over the past decade,” said Russell.

“This is a three-year campaign designed to change behaviours to help curb rising infection rates and will raise awareness of the issue and educate the community to prevent stigma.”

Russell said the campaign is the result of extensive research and work with the LGBTI community in Queensland following the establishment of the Ministerial Advisory Committee in July last year. The Committee was instrumental in rolling out rapid HIV testing in Queensland, the first Australian state to do so.

Visit endhiv.qld.gov.au for more information or to participate in the campaign.