The Victorian PrEP Accord launches the Double Happiness Campaign with Health Minister Jill Hennessy

The promotion of Treatment as prevention (TasP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) will be the focus as the Victorian PrEP Accord launches the Double Happiness Campaign with Minister Jill Hennessy on Thursday, 16 June at the Multicultural HUB at 2pm*.
“I – along with all Australian health ministers – am committed to the goal of the virtual elimination of new HIV transmissions by 2020,” said Health Minister Jill Hennessy. “PrEP and Treatment as Prevention are effective strategies to help us achieve that goal.”
The campaign uses Chinese symbolism for ‘double happiness’ to promote the union of the two complementary strategies working together: the use of anti-retroviral drugs for people living with HIV to reduce the HIV viral load to an 'undetectable' level (TasP), and the use of anti-retroviral drugs taken by HIV negative person to prevent HIV transmission (PrEP). At present, the drug Truvada has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for PrEP use, however it has not yet been listed on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
“Although there has been progress made, it’s not enough,” said Phillip Joffe, Chair of PrEPaccessNOW. “The quick access and availability of this drug is imperative to the health and wellbeing of Australians at risk for HIV.”
The website for the campaign, TasPLovesPrEP.info, will launch on Thursday and in addition to providing essential information about TasP and PrEP, some information will be available in multiple languages including Chinese, Greek, Spanish and Vietnamese.
“Whether you are HIV negative or HIV positive, we want to educate everyone about both of these methods of HIV prevention and convey the message that everyone can play a role in ending new HIV transmissions,” said Brent Allan, CEO for Living Positive Victoria. “We’re all in this together, HIV shouldn’t stand in the way of love.”
The Victorian PrEP Accord is a partnership between Living Positive Victoria and the Victorian AIDS Council (VAC), alongside grassroots PrEP organisations PrEPaccessNOW, Time4PrEP, PrEP’d for Change, and researchers from VicPrEP who are all committed to ensure the availability of PrEP for the Victorian community.
*Please note the Minister will be in attendance from 2-2.30pm