Concerns HIV cases going unreported in NT

The NT AIDS and Hepatitis Council says there is an urgent need for HIV education in remote communities. (Reuters: Eliseo Fernandez, file photo)

• Map: Darwin 0800

Officially, there have never been any cases of HIV in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory.

But the NT AIDS and Hepatitis Council is worried there could be a devastating outbreak of the virus.

On World AIDS Day, the council says there is an urgent need for HIV education and support programs in remote communities across northern Australia.

HIV researchers agree more needs to be done to educate people about the virus but they say there are no signs of an outbreak.

Foxxy Empire grew up on the Tiwi Islands off the Top End coast of the Northern Territory.

The Aboriginal drag queen has a high profile in Darwin and is using that notoriety to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS in remote Aboriginal communities.

Last night Foxxy Empire told invited guests at a World AIDS Day function at Government House in the northern capital about an Aboriginal friend from a remote community who committed suicide after finding out they were HIV positive.

"I just think that they were just scared. They were scared by what it means to be HIV positive, they were scared about the fact that they didn't know what to do, they felt alone."

Official statistics from the Northern Territory Department of Health show there are no cases of Aboriginal people with HIV in the Territory.

But Foxxy Empire says ignorance about the causes of HIV and a lack of knowledge and access to effective treatment means there is a massive stigma in remote communities against HIV and AIDS and that stops people from being tested.

"People are contracting the disease and they just don't know that they have it, which is the most scariest thing of all."

Alison Edwards from the Northern Territory AIDS and Hepatitis Council says anecdotal reports back up Foxxy Empire's concern there are unreported cases of HIV in remote communities.

"We believe that it's probably higher than the data tells us and we're very concerned that there's a potential risk of an outbreak in a remote community or communities," she said.

"So it's very important that we get the prevention message out there."

James Ward is the head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Health Program at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology at the University of New South Wales.

He agrees there needs to be more culturally appropriate education programs to raise awareness about HIV in remote communities, but says testing programs are showing no signs of an outbreak.

"The one thing about the Aboriginal population with HIV in Australia is that we've had a very stable epidemic over 20 years.

"Every year, almost every year for the last 18 years, we've had around 20 notifications per year."

More than 18 years ago in Alice Springs, Fred Hollows made a controversial speech at the first National Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Conference, suggesting the epidemic could decimate remote communities.

While Professor Hollows's fears weren't realised James Ward says there's an urgent need to reduce injecting drug use rates and high rates of sexually transmitted infections in Aboriginal communities Australia-wide.

"Something we need to watch out for in the future, that's for sure," he said.

"And if things continue to move to a much more generalised epidemic then we will be on top of it.

"And I think we're in a very good situation to address that."