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Sexual Health, HIV and Hepatitis B & C
We deliver health promotion programs and initiatives to increase HIV, sexually transmissible infection (STI) and hepatitis B & C prevention, testing and treatment.
We work with priority populations including:
- Aboriginal people
- Cultural and linguistically diverse communities
- International students
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) communities, in particular men who have sex with men
- People living with HIV, hepatitis B & C and STIs
- People at risk or experiencing homelessness
- People who inject drugs
- People who engage in sex work
- Young people
We also work with a range of clinical partners, non-government, community organisations and host the statewide Pozhet service for heterosexual people at risk of or living with HIV.
How we prevent HIV, STIs and hepatitis B & C
- We deliver social marketing campaigns to increase awareness and knowledge and participate in community awareness events such as HIV Testing Week, World AIDS Day and Hepatitis Awareness Week
- We provide free safe sex supplies to services across Sydney Local Health District
- We run Sticky Stuff Training for people who work with young people and want to increase their sexual health knowledge
- We train peer educators, including Aboriginal young people and international students, about sexual health and service navigation
- We provide safe sex supplies, sexual health education and referrals to people who engage in sex work
How we link people to testing and treatment
We are working towards elimination of HIV and Hepatitis C in NSW. Testing and treatment for HIV and hepatitis C has never been easier.
Testing at home
The Dried Blood Spot (DBS) test is a new, free, easy and private way to test for HIV and hepatitis C. Just take a few drops of blood from your finger, mail the test back and get your results by phone, text or email.
You don’t need to go to a clinic or see a doctor to do this test. Visit dbstest.health.nsw.gov.au for more information.
Outreach clinics
We offer HIV and hepatitis C testing and treatment in the community at a range of places including community centres, homeless services, community correction services, pharmacies, methadone clinics and with our District mobile health van. Our outreach team includes our clinical partners so that any one we meet on outreach can be linked into treatment & care seamlessly.
Hepatitis C Point-Of-Care Testing (PoCT) Program
We are a research site for the Australian Hepatitis C Point-Of-Care Testing (POCT) Program. We can provide a hepatitis C test with results provided on the same day. To find out where you can have a hepatitis C test, visit hepcpoct.com.au or contact us for details.
HIV Client Support Program (in language)
The HIV Client Support Program provides support to people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities who are affected by HIV. If you have a HIV diagnosis or you are a family member, loved one or carer of a person with HIV you can contact us to use this service.
Our clients are matched to a bi-lingual/bi-cultural Cultural Support Worker. The Cultural Support Worker understands the culture and language of their clients, the meaning of a HIV diagnosis and how the health system works in Australia. We work with the client to provide emotional support, improve health literacy and understandings of HIV. We support ongoing treatment and care, normalise and de-stigmatise living with HIV, and systems navigation.
The HIV Cultural Support Program protects individual’s privacy and confidentiality and is available across New South Wales. To find out more about receiving support you can call us on 02 9515 1234 or email SLHD-DiveristyHub@health.nsw.gov.au
Should I be worried about catching HIV from you?
Common misconceptions about HIV
HIV medication (antiretroviral treatment, or ART) works by reducing the amount of HIV virus in the blood to undetectable levels. This means the levels of HIV are so low that the HIV virus is under a certain minimum level measured by a viral load test. This is called having an undetectable viral load or being undetectable.
It can take up to six months for some people to become undetectable from when they start treatment. The majority of people who take their treatment as prescribed become undetectable. Most people living with HIV have a regular viral load test.
Medical evidence shows us that if you are undetectable you cannot pass on HIV to sexual partners. Studies demonstrate that HIV medication and being undetectable greatly reduces the risk of HIV transmission through sharing injecting equipment. However, we don’t have enough evidence to establish that people with an undetectable HIV viral load cannot transmit HIV through needle sharing.
People with an undetectable viral load will still test positive for HIV. However, as long as they take HIV medication they can have another test which indicates how much virus is in their blood and whether they have an undetectable viral load.
No HIV cannot be transmitted by saliva whether or not the person is taking HIV treatments.
Most daily activities pose no risk of HIV transmission. Only certain body fluids can spread HIV — blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and to a much less degree breast milk. It can’t be transmitted via saliva, sweat, skin, or urine.
| Pozhet | Pozhet provides support, information and advice to heterosexuals at risk of HIV, heterosexuals living with HIV and health care professionals in NSW. |
| Sexual Health Infolink | A state-wide, nurse-led NSW Health service. |
| International Students Hub | It was developed to improve access to sexual and reproductive health information and services for international students. The website is a collaboration of over 50 organisations across New South Wales, Australia. |
| Play Safe | The website provides information and resources on sexual health, consent, STIs, condoms, pubic hair, dental dams and more. |
| Ending HIV | HIV prevention, treatment, testing and public health information on NSW Health website. |
| Hepatitis B and C | Hepatitis B and C strategies, prevention, testing and public health information on NSW Health website. |
| ACON | ACON is a leading HIV and LGBTQ+ health organisation in New South Wales that offers resources, programs and services for trans and gender diverse people. |
| Hepatitis NSW | Hepatitis NSW is an independent, community-based, not-for-profit health promotion charity funded by the NSW Ministry of Health. |
| Positive Life NSW | Positive Life NSW is the largest peer-led and run representative body of all people living with HIV in Australia based in NSW, and the voice of all people living with HIV in NSW since 1988. |
| Sex Workers Outreach Project | SWOP is Australia’s largest and longest established community-based peer education sex worker organisation with a mission to provide NSW sex workers with the same access to health, safety, human rights, and workplace protections as all other Australian workers. |
| NSW Users and AIDS Association | NUAA is a peer-based drug user organisation that is governed, staffed and led by people with lived experience of drug use. |
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