March 2023

Hi Caddyshackers,

Back on World AIDS Day - 1st December 2021, we shared a series of polls on Caddyshack Instagram stories, you can check out the Highlight of True or False: HIV edition here.

Over 70 of our Instagram followers participated! We weren’t surprised at their knowledge around HIV - we have a pretty fab group of followers who know their stuff & love to learn.

Did you miss out on joining in on Instagram? That’s ok, we have bought the game to you!

Whether you are expert level, keen to brush up on your HIV knowledge or just learn something new - scroll through the slides, follow along with the True or False: HIV edition & give it a shot.

Try answering the questions for yourself before seeing what others said.

75% of our Instagram followers who joined in said they learnt something new

25% said they knew most of it

Both are great! Which will you be?

There are a few tricky questions in there!

We started the True or False game with ‘HIV is the same as AIDS’. What do you think? True or false?

94% of our Instagram followers who played the game said false & they were correct.

AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body's immune system is badly damaged because of the virus. In Australia, most people with HIV do not develop AIDS because taking HIV medicine every day as prescribed stops the progression of the disease.

‘Outside the body HIV is a very strong & resilient virus’ - True or false?

It’s false. HIV does not survive well outside the body, making the possibility of environmental transmission rare.

This may not be very well known fact, but our Instagram followers smashed this question with 72% saying false & 28% saying true.

Our Instagram followers were divided on this one with a 50/50 split, and rightly so as it’s not well known. ‘In heterosexual sex, the women is most at risk of contracting HIV’ is true.

Women are three to four times more likely to get HIV from men rather than men from women.

It’s interesting that 11% of our Instagram followers answered true to ‘There is a cure for HIV’. Won’t it be great when there IS a cure!

The 89% of Instagram followers who said false were correct.

There is no cure for HIV, but antiretroviral treatment can manage the virus, meaning that people with HIV can live long and healthy lives.

There are a lot of behaviours that won’t put you at risk of HIV. 70% of Instagram followers said false to ‘Kissing is a risk behaviour for HIV transmission because of saliva’ and they are correct.

HIV can't be transmitted via saliva, sweat, skin, faeces or urine. So, there's no risk of getting HIV from regular social contact, such as closed-mouth kissing, shaking hands, sharing drinks, or hugging because those bodily fluids aren't exchanged during these activities.

Now we are getting into the tricky questions with the big numbers.

‘75,700,000 - the lifetime number of HIV diagnoses globally’ What do you think? True or false? An impressive 86% of our followers said true and only 14% said false.

It is true.

Across the globe there has been an estimated 75.7 million HIV diagnoses since the start of the epidemic.

Certainly, this is a staggering number and a reflection of how HIV has affected and reached all corners of the world.

‘32,700,00 - the number of lives lost to AIDS-related illnesses around the globe’. It’s a big number and 86% were correct saying it’s true.

Globally, there are an estimated 32.7 million people who have died from an AIDS-related illness since the start of the epidemic.

A sobering number, and while we have virtually eliminated AIDS-related illness deaths in NSW, many countries are still fighting to get HIV treatment to those who need it most.

We are used to hearing about testing these days, but do you think ‘603,824 - the number of HIV tests taken in clinical settings in NSW in 2019’ is true or false?

It’s true, and 75% of our Instagram followers were correct.

In NSW, 603,824 HIV serology tests were performed in 15 laboratories in NSW in 2019, and represents a year-on-year increase in HIV testing rates.

‘290,000 - the estimated number of people in Australia living with HIV’ is also true.

Again the majority (75%) of our Instagram followers got this one correct #proud

There is an estimated 290,000 people living with HIV in Australia. Increasing testing is key to linking people into care, thereby also reducing onwards transmission.

We have talked about PrEP before in our What is PrEP blog back in November 2020. PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, if you want to know a bit more, check out our blog or jump over to the ACON website after this.

Do you think that there are ‘115,881 PrEP users in NSW’?

This one is false. Only 14% of our Instagram followers got this one right. We were a bit cheeky with these numbers, soz.

Between April 2018 and June 2020, 15,881 people were dispensed PrEP through the Pharmaceutical Benefites Scheme in NSW. PrEP is a highly effective strategy for HIV negative people to prevent acquiring HIV.

Back to our Instagram followers getting the answers correct with 78% saying true to ‘1996 - the year the first combination drug therapy to treat HIV became available’. Did you get this one?

1996 was the year the first combination drug therapy first because available. Combination therapy is still the standard of treatment today. Read all about the benefits of starting treatment on the Ending HIV page.

Do you think that ‘1984 was the year the first official reporting was made of what would become known as AIDS’ ?

Our Instagram followers weren’t so sure with 60% saying true and 40% saying false.

The answer… false!

The first official reporting of what would become known as AIDS was made in 1981. Published by the US health body the CDC, the report described 'Pneumocystis pneumonia' in previously healthy gay men.

These ones are tricky, but would you say true or false? ‘2,282 - the number of new diagnoses in NSW in 2019’.

77% of our Instagram followers said true with only 23% who were correct and said false

In 2019 there were 828 new diagnoses in NSW. This figure represents a 12% decrease in infections in NSW compared to the last five-year average which shows us that we are on the right track.

Undetectable viral load not only improves a HIV positive person's overall health, but it also means they cannot transmit HIV to their partners. So do you think that ‘75% of people living with HIV in Australia have an undetectable viral load?’

22% of our Instagram followers got this one right - the answer is false

Across Australia, 95% of those living with HIV are on treatment and have an undetectable viral load.

‘There are 4 effective ways to prevent transmission of HIV: Condoms, PrEP, PEP & Undetectable Viral Load’

Yep, you guessed it - this one is true.

We told you we had fab Instagram followers. Well done to the 88% for getting this one correct. I mean, we do talk about condoms a lot on our page!

There are 4 highly effective ways you can prevent HIV transmission - using condoms, PrEP, PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and undetectable viral load or a combination.

‘PrEP stands for present epidemiological process’. Hint: we talked about PrEP earlier. It does sound fancy, but if you reckon the answer is false, you and 70% of our Instagram followers are correct.

We did warn you about these questions trying to trip you up.

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a HIV prevention option where HIV negative people take HIV medication at specific intervals to prevent infection. This can be taken daily (for all people at risk of HIV) or 'on-demand' (for cisgender men only).

‘Undetectable viral load (UVL) means medical professionals are having difficulty diagnosing HIV’ - True or false?

You may recall us mentioning undetectable viral load earlier so you (and 75% of our Instagram followers) got this one right - it’s false.

A UVL (undetectable viral load) means a HIV positive person has taken treatment effectively and reduced the amount of HIV in their blood to a level undetectable by tests. Not only does a UVL improve their health, but also means there is no risk of HIV transmission.

‘PEP stands for post-exposure prophylaxis’ How well do you remember your acronyms? 80% of our Instagram follower said true and they are correct.

If you think you have recently been exposed to HIV, you may need PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis). This 4-week treatment can prevent HIV infection, but you need to act fast - within 72 hours.

What we are loving this month

This month we are loving our online community.

Thanks for reading our blogs, liking our Instagram posts & chatting with us on Facebook.

We love engaging with you!

We are doing a double favourite this month (cause we can!).

We are loving the TransHub online community.

TransHub is a digital information & resource platform for all trans & gender diverse people in NSW, loved ones, allies & health providers.

In Feb, we sat down with Sophie (they/them) from ACON for a ‘visual podcast’ style On The Couch webinar. Make a cuppa, get comfy & have a watch of the informative & inclusive conversation we had.

"REMEMBER THIS, WHOEVER YOU ARE, HOWEVER YOU ARE,

YOU ARE EQUALLY VALID, EQUALLY JUSTIFIED, AND EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL."

JUNO DAWSON

Until next time,

Peace, Love & Protection

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