FLETCH... in all honesty I'm totally lost on this one.. have no idea what ur on about :) except maybe the threats bit.

I suppose in order to make a positive contribution to the thread, my advice is that we all live according to Scripture..

-Love God first
-Do for others as you would have them do 4 u..
-No premarital/extra-marital sex.
-No drug of dependance or serious mind altering nature, stimulation assistance for life in order to experience the joys it offers.

I simply cannot relate to a heavy duty discussion about Drugs and STD's.. they are not part of my life or thinking except for a cuppa and a biccy :) they do give me considerable joy.

Correction to the former statement, the Centre for Epidemiology does not collect the information of HIV results in the first instance. The results are collected from the pathology labs: in Sydney ST Vincents Pathology a Westmead and Gribbles Pathology lab, and there are other lab networks in other states.

A copy is sent to the Commonwealth Health Department. They send the results to other Government Departments.

To get a HIV test, you are bombarded with leading questionnaires as to "why" do you want this test? If they have a venepuncture nurse, they may or may not test you.

In Melbourne and Perth they have mobile testing equipment near notorious parks, back rooms, and bars. If you have a wider range of tests closer to higher risk people, than you can scientifically surmise that you will get more positive results.

The low results results are more likely to be a result of, as I said, laziness, as testing is just inaccessible to people.

Once people are HIV, well it is too late.

The concern is that HIV negative people are taking Crystal Meth, Viagra, and are ignoring the risk of a life threatening illness, as well as possible death from the lethal combination of Crystal Meth + Viagra.

Some of these people are "bug catchers" and are seroconverting deliberately.

Treating the HIV+s as "naughty children" does nothing to stop the deaths. With multi-resistant strains and treatment failure, HIV can be still terminal. Allergies to the treatments have killed some people too. So its not "just" a few pills.

With some positive people, it is not their fault. There are many stories that I have heard. Some are sad, others are enough to lose faith in humanity.

I agree with Boaz, I prefer tea, or in my case, a coffee and a biscuit, and I must say I have no interest in sex these days. It wakes the kids anyway.

I do, however, notice things going wrong.

Speaking out when stakeholders are frightened of being punished in their social quarantine is not negative and I refuse to be silenced.

For a change, I'm with Boaz on this one. Well, as far as understanding what is going on is concerned anyway, I'm not sure about his proposed "cure".

What's the story? A few years ago HIV/AIDS had spawned a massive industry, money was flying hither and yon to many and varied groups who had some position in the game. Nowadays there seems to have been a downgrading of its status (perhaps to "cottage industry?" - sorry!) as people have taken a position and moved on.

Surely as the causes are now well established, widely reported and understood, the only thing left is for people to exercise some common sense and self discipline. Is it any more difficult than that in a developed and civilized society?

I had never heard of the Sex on Premises Code of Practice, for example. Their inspections sound pretty dire:

"...there aren’t condoms in the darkroom on the bottom floor..." reported SXNews (wha'?)

An aspect that also confused me was the accusatory tone of another SXNews report.

"Prestage told the Herald. “If you are a gay man living in central Sydney, you are living with rates of HIV that are equivalent to sub-Saharan Africa.” "

...followed later by;

"Prestage... could not define the boundaries of the “inner Sydney” region he was referring to"

Blind Freddie can see that comparing the population of Lesotho with gay men in the Oxford Street area is hardly apples with apples.

But again, what is the point? Are they running out of funds and have to scare up some more dollars from the public?

My sympathies, as always, lie with the victims. But surely it is a preventable disease, in the sense that unless you are living in a totally different universe, you have known for many years how to avoid it?

Perhaps a little more detail on the point you are making, saintfletcher?

well, a few of my friends who have HIV, one had actual AIDS for a while, are doing really well.... with meds and help.

I think ACON or who ever they are are awesome... really, ACON or who ever else it is in the gay community have put Australia leagues ahead of the rest of the west in dealing with HIV... As soon as the news hit HIV was about (in the 80s was it?) Australia's gay community got it together so quick... I admire them so much...

In USA and UK there is bugger all for people who are infected.

the "gifting partys" sound fargged up tho, i must say...

The politically correct attitude as usual has sunken to new lows if this kind of "it is my right to give somone HIV or I want HIV" is encouraged...but on the whole i still think Australia has done well with HIV.

I'm glad you have picked up on some puzzling evidence Perecles. The ACON code of practice is only given to one sex on premises venue, which just so happens to give them donations and freebies.

When the sex venue advertises, they use this "ACON" code of practice stamp of approval to encourage people into believing that the place is "safer" than other competing premises. This is, of course debatable. Why a Government funded organisation should be giving stamps of approval to give sex premises commercial advantage over other's is puzzling to say the least.

And in answer to Meredith, in the wonder world of STIs and HIV, there are two arms: prevention / education, and the other arm that you mention: services for the HIV positive people. This discussion is about prevention, not the services.

The Crystal meth problem in Sydney and the Pfizer law suit in the US is really something concerning. My point is we don't have a grasp on a clear message in Sydney, and there are too many playing victim politics. To many aidsocrats playing with rubbery figures and twisting reality to squeeze as much Government funding as possible for what? Leaflets. More Posters.

There has to be a consistent message before anything they say has credibility.