Knowledge and access are not enough: HIV risk and prevention among people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Sydney

Asante, Augustine D; Körner, Henrike

doi:10.5694/mja11.11342

Topics

Health services administration

Infectious diseases

Global health

medical education

To the Editor: The HIV epidemic in Australia is changing. The number of new infections attributed to heterosexual contact has increased, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds account for a significant proportion of these diagnoses. In the period 2005–2009, 41% of new HIV diagnoses linked to heterosexual transmission were in people from CALD backgrounds.1 A considerable proportion of HIV diagnoses in people from CALD backgrounds are late diagnoses.

University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: a.asante@unsw.edu.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia annual surveillance report 2010. Sydney: NCHECR, 2010.
2. Asante A, Körner H, Kippax S. Understanding late HIV diagnosis among people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. (Monograph 7/2009.) Sydney: NCHECR, 2009.
3. Asante A, Körner H, McMahon T, et al. Periodic survey of HIV knowledge and use of health services among people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds 2006–2008. (Monograph 2/2009.) Sydney: NCHECR, 2009.

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