Burnet and the 'Big Three'

Burnet’s Fight Against HIV

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Burnet and HIV

HIV is one of the greatest challenges to human health. It claims the lives of two million people each year.

Currently an estimated 33 million people are living with HIV with more than half of these infections in women and children. An estimated 1000 children become newly infected with HIV each day, according to the World Health Organisation.  In many poor communities access to antiretroviral drugs and good health care is not readily available or very expensive, so living with HIV can often result in a very different outcome than in western countries.

What Burnet is doing...

• In the laboratory, we’re undertaking research looking at how HIV infects cells, how it reproduces, and where it lives in the body.
• We’re developing a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and new drugs to treat people already infected. In a novel approach to prevention of infection, our scientists are developing a gel that can be used to block HIV from infecting cells. This gel is already undergoing clinical trials and is expected to be available to the public in the near future. 
• Developing a low-cost, point-of-care CD4 Rapid Test which uses a finger prick of blood to measure the immune status of HIV infected patients in remote settings 
• Educating people both in Australia and overseas about the virus and how it’s spread through research studies such as 'Suck it and See' 
• Supporting public health programs in poor countries where people are at risk of contracting this virus. The Burnet Institute supports HIV prevention programs in Burma, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Pacific, China, Viet Nam and Mozambique, providing education and training, and increasing the capacity of local government agencies and non government organisations to respond to the issues around HIV.

Living with HIV

Burnet Ambassador and mother of two, Deanna Blegg was diagnosed at just 24 years of age with HIV. Given just six months to live in 1996, the combination of HIV medication and her healthy outlook on life, has improved both Deanna’s health and vision for the future. An elite level adventure racer, Deanna also plays an active role in raising HIV awareness through her Ambassador role for Burnet. Recently she went on a field trip to the highlands of Papua New Guinea to experience Burnet's HIV prevention campaign, Tingim Laip first-hand.