"The younger people today perhaps are not as aware because they don't see themselves as at risk and they don't hear the messages that are out there about HIV," she said.
Garry, 32, was diagnosed with HIV in 2006. He agrees.
"Re-education and constant education as well... even through high school, pretty much I think that's where it really needs to be tackled," he said.
"That's where I think we really need to start nailing this. If we can sort of do it from that point and then go forward we'd be right. And then it's just re-education for everyone from that."
Dr Garsia says 1,000 HIV cases are diagnosed in Australia every year.
"Our job this year's World AIDS Day is to communicate the truth about the real risks of HIV and other STIs to young people," he said.
Garry says his first impressions of the virus came from the 1980s ad campaigns.
"Six months to live was basically what I thought," he said.
"I never knew anyone even in my gay friends who had it or who even had any knowledge of it... I knew nothing about support systems, even in the gay scene, it's kind of that stigma, 'you're now a HIV positive person'."
Dr Ooi says she hopes that talking about the results of this survey will help get rid of myths surrounding HIV and AIDS.
"Certainly education and using condoms with sex are the most important things that we can do, and also to get tested to protect ourselves against HIV," she said.
"It can infect all of us if we're not careful... and we can all get tested, it's very easy."
This year marks the 21st anniversary of International World AIDS Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment