HIV on the rise in over 55s, study finds
Condoms provide effective protection against many STDs. (Flickr (cc: by-nc-sa): peachy92, file photo)
A national report into sexually transmitted diseases (STD) has found the rate of HIV infection among the over 55s is on the rise.
About 20,000 Australians are HIV positive and there were 1,050 reported new infections last year.
However, that is a tiny fraction of the number of Australians being infected by chlamydia.
So many people under 30 are contracting the STD that researchers are describing it as a chlamydia epidemic.
The trends have emerged in a National Centre of HIV Research report at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.
Professor John de Wit has been studying the social reasons behind the spread of STDs.
He says older people are becoming infected with HIV because they are of the generation around when HIV first hit the world.
"Those people, in a sense, are also more likely to have friends or partners who are also infected with HIV," he said.
"Partly what we see is that the number of people infected with HIV goes down as age goes down because infection tends to spread amongst peers who have sex with each other."
The report also says that there is an increase in people from other countries who are HIV positive who move to Australia.
Professor de Wit says HIV-positive immigrants who come to Australia mostly do not know that they are living with HIV.
"Very often they find that out as part of the migration process, or where once in Australia start having health concerns," he said.
"And so that's part of it. Part of the heterosexual transmission is also Australians who are going overseas and becoming infected."
Professor de Wit says while HIV in older Australians is on the rise, the country's largest sexually transmitted disease is chlamydia.
There was more than 62,000 chlamydia cases diagnosed last year and the greatest rates were between the 15 to 29-year-old age group.
Professor de Wit says so many young people are becoming infected because young people tend to not use condoms routinely.
He says condoms provide effective protection against many STDs.
"[Young people] may use other forms of contraception which protect them... against unwanted pregnancy, which is a major concern," he said.
He says one of the centre's previous studies shows young people think their personal risk of contracting an STD is low.
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