Comprehensive, up-to-date information on HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and policy from the University of California San Francisco

The HIV epidemic in Oceania is small, but the number of people living with HIV in this region nearly doubled between 2001 and 2009 - from 28,000 [23,000-35,000] to 57,000 [50,000-64,000]. However, the number of people newly infected with HIV has begun to decline from 4,700 [3,800-5,600] in 2001 to 4,500 [3,400-6,000] in 2009. The HIV epidemic in Papua New Guinea is the largest and the only generalized one in this region. Recent analysis of available data across the country shows that the epidemic is starting to level off . The national adult HIV prevalence in 2009 was estimated at 0.9% [0.8%-1.0%], with about 34,000 [30,000-39,000] people living with HIV. The estimates were calculated using data from antenatal clinics in all parts of Papua New Guinea that offer HIV testing to pregnant women as part of routine care. Programs that aim to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV substantially increased the number of sites providing testing services to women during recent years, from 17 in 2005 to 178 in 2009, also resulting in more information available for the estimation process.

The HIV epidemics in Oceania are mainly driven by sexual transmission. Unprotected heterosexual intercourse is the main mode of transmission in Papua New Guinea, whereas unprotected sex between men predominates in the epidemics of the smaller Pacific countries and in those of Australia and New Zealand.