On World AIDS Day, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is reaffirming the central role played by general practitioners in HIV prevention, and in providing care and support for people living with HIV infection. The college is also taking this opportunity to highlight new challenges as the epidemic changes in Australia.

“In the early days of the epidemic, general practitioners were the first point of contact for patients living with HIV infection, and this is still true today,” said Dr Chris Mitchell, RACGP President, and GP in Northern NSW.

“Australian general practitioners have always been at the forefront of prevention, diagnosis and treatment, but we are now facing new challenges.

“HIV infection rates in Australia have been gradually increasing and we need to continually reinforce preventive measures and to ensure that people living with HIV infection know about treatments that are now available.

“The treatment of HIV infection is constantly improving and we need to remain vigilant in order to diagnose HIV-infected people and provide them with the best possible treatments.

“Most people with HIV infection are well and able to live healthily for many years. The stigma of HIV infection requires ongoing psychosocial support, and the infection itself can affect many systems of the body, and patients require long term monitoring and follow up.

“For these reasons, HIV infection is a disease ideally suited for management in the community setting. For this reason GPs have been, and will continue to be, at the forefront of managing the HIV epidemic in Australia.”