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HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention

We conduct innovative research aimed at understanding the transmission and prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Group Heads

About

We conduct innovative epidemiological and implementation research aimed at understanding the transmission, diagnosis and prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. We have a particular focus on priority populations including gay and bisexual men, trans and gender diverse people, young people and people who inject drugs.

In Australia, HIV notifications have steadily declined among some groups over the past decade. These declines are linked to the scale up of biomedical HIV prevention strategies. However, challenges remain for ensuring their equitable deployment and optimal strategic investment.

HIV is also a major public health issue across Southeast Asia, approximately 10 per cent of the world’s 37 million adults and children living with HIV reside.

Our main aims are:

undertaking research involving the groups most at risk of HIV and STIs, including gay and bisexual men, trans and gender diverse people, people who inject drugs, young people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities

integrating findings from our surveillance, epidemiology and research work to inform policy and practice to prevent the transmission of HIV and other STIs.

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Meeting With Dr. Sithu Aung Director Disease Control On Discussion About Collaboration Cooperation On HIV Surveillance Monitoring System Between Burnet And NAP

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Current projects

Open to students

Informing priorities in the HIV response in Australia

We're taking a multifaceted approach to HIV prevention and supporting the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV.

Efficacy assessment of a new point-of-care test for confirmation of active syphilis in men who have sex with men

We're developing a novel rapid point of care test based on lateral flow technology for diagnosis of active syphilis in a single visit.

Open to students

ACCESS: Australian Collaboration for Coordinated Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance of Sexually Transmissible Infections and Blood Borne Viruses

ACCESS is a national sentinel surveillance network of sexually transmissible infections and blood-borne viruses.

Past projects

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Novel Point-of-care Testing for Diagnosis of Active Syphilis in Pregnant Women and Infants in Fiji

Congenital syphilis (CS), caused by mother-to-child transmission of spirochete bacterium Treponema Pallidum (TP), is a major global health problem associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in children. Without adequate treatment CS causes significant developmental, neurological and musculoskeletal disability in children, and many infected infants will die within the first year of life. In 2016, estimated global incidence for CS was 473 (385-561) cases per 100,000 live births with a total of 661,000 (538,000-784,000) cases, including 355,000 (290,000-419,000) adverse birth outcomes (143,000 stillbirths; 61,000 neonatal deaths; 41,000 preterm/low- birth weight births; and 109,000 infants with clinical CS). Treatment of syphilis is simple, effective and inexpensive; however, definitive diagnosis of active syphilis requires confirmatory testing which requires laboratory facilities, and not always available in many low-resource settings in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In 40 of the 81 LMICs which account for more than 95 per cent maternal deaths and more than 90 per cent of deaths in children under five years old, 74 per cent of pregnant women who had at least four antenatal care visits were not tested for syphilis. A combination of treponemal and non-treponemal tests is required for diagnosis of active syphilis but there is no point-of-care test (POCT) that can effectively distinguish between past/treated and active syphilis. There is no POCT for diagnosis of CS available on the market.

ACCESS Myanmar: Assessing the feasibility of an integrated HIV cascade of care surveillance system in Myanmar

ACCESS Myanmar will implement and evaluate an electronic health records data linkage system that effectively monitors the progress of patients through HIV testing and treatment episodes of care across a network of partnering community and government services.

Ageing Well with HIV

Ageing Well with HIV aims to address the psychosocial and health needs of older people living with HIV.

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News and features

Paul Dietze and his amazing technicolour HIV lab coat

Professor Paul Dietze has a unique memento from IAS2025, a custom-designed lab coat reimagined through the lens of #HIV science, fashion, and activism.

First-of-its-kind training manual to improve HIV care

In Papua New Guinea, Burnet is helping to strengthen the country’s HIV response through the Sexual & Reproductive Health Integration Project.

Celebrating Burnet excellence: Gust-McKenzie Medal and Frank Fenner Award

NHMRC grants for Burnet hepatitis B and STI research

Burnet projects aimed at reducing the burden of hepatitis B in Australia and STIs will be supported by NHMRC Investigator Grants.

Alastair Lucas Prize and Gust-McKenzie Medal

Dr Lindi Masson and Professor Josh Vogel have been announced as winners of two of Burnet’s most prestigious awards.

VMRAF grant for Burnet project to support women's sexual and reproductive health

A Burnet project targeting bacterial vaginosis has been awarded a grant from the Victorian Government’s Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund (VMRAF).

Featured publications

15 Apr 2023

HIV treatment-as-prevention and its effect on incidence of HIV among cisgender gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Australia: a 10-year longitudinal cohort study

The Lancet HIV

Jason Asselin, Margaret Hellard, Alisa Pedrana, Mark Stoové

25 May 2022

Real-world trends in incidence of bacterial sexually transmissible infections among gay and bisexual men using HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Australia following nationwide PrEP implementation: an analysis of sentinel surveillance data

The Lancet Infectious Diseases

Victoria Polkinghorne, Michael W. Traeger, Jason Asselin, Edwina Wright, Margaret Hellard, Mark Stoové, Mark Boyd, Jeanne Ellard, Michael L. West, Michael W. Traeger

08 Sep 2021