The Queensland AIDS Council welcomes today’s announcement that the QPrEP’d study is to be expanded to 3000 places.

PrEP (Pre- Exposure Prophylaxis) is a medication that we know prevents HIV transmission if taken as directed.

In early 2016, Hon Cameron Dick Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, announced the funding of 2000 places for the four year QPrEP’d study. The study has been particularly successful at getting PrEP to Queenslanders most at risk of HIV transmission, with 1970 people already accessing the QPreP’d study, and more still importing PrEP from overseas.

The Queensland AIDS Council has been integral to the success of the study, through direct enrolment of participants at Clinic 30 in Brisbane and Hervey Bay, and also through the statewide communication and promotion of the study. Through the peer driven community outreach conducted by QuAC and the range of health promotion targeting at risk communities, we have been able to ensure those of our community most at risk of HIV transmission were aware of the benefits of PrEP and the availability of free PrEP through the study.

“There is no doubt that PrEP has already prevented many new HIV notifications in Queensland, and we recognise the strong leadership taken by Mr Cameron Dick to invest further into HIV prevention in Queensland” said Michael Scott, Executive Director of Queensland AIDS Council.

The announcement of the expansion to the PrEP study follows the HIV Roundtable in Cairns involving clinicians, non- government organisations, researchers, affected community and government, focussing on Indigenous sexual health and in particular the prevention of HIV in North Queensland.

The Roundtable highlighted the meaningful involvement of community programs such as the 2 Spirits Program to prevent HIV transmission at a local Indigenous community level.

The 2 Spirits Program, funded for over 20 years to work with Indigenous gay men and sistergirls to prevent HIV transmission, was earlier this year defunded without evaluation by the Federal Department of Health.

“Because of the urgent need for health promotion, community development and prevention services to Indigenous community, particularly around availability of PrEP, we urge the appropriate resourcing of the 2 Spirits Program to ensure PrEP is made available equally to Indigenous Queenslanders,” said Scott.

For further information contact Michael Scott, Executive Director, Queensland AIDS Council on 0427 138 373 or mscott@quac.org.au.

ENDS

The Queensland AIDS Council was established in 1984 and is a community-based, not-for-profit, registered health promotion charity that works to improve the health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Queenslanders, prevent HIV and bu ild the capacity of the community. Media Release – Queensland PrEP Study Expansion