New national HIV strategy launched today in Melbourne CHECKING for HIV infection could soon become as easy as testing for pregnancy with the Federal Government announcing plans to increase access to kits that allow people to test at home. Australian organizations at the coalface of HIV have welcomed the initiative, which is part of the government’s new blood borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections strategy. Federal Health Minister Peter Dutton, and his Victorian counterpart David Davis, launched the strategy this morning in Melbourne with the city due to play host to the global AIDS 2014 conference in a matter of weeks. “We are united in meeting common goals – working towards Australia being free of HIV and other blood borne viruses and ensuring effective prevention, early detection and treatment,” Davis said. A restriction preventing the manufacture and sale of HIV home self-testing kits has already been removed, Dutton said, but any kits would have to meet Australian standards before they could be sold to consumers.

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