Victorian Aids Council

The Victorian AIDS Council (VAC) is engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Our role is to reduce the transmission of HIV and to preserve the independence, dignity and health of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Nowhere in the world is there room to be complacent about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The United Nations estimates that at the end of 2005 there were 38.6 million people worldwide living with HIV. So far Australia has had a successful response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, since 1994 the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV has steadily increased - in Australia over 26,268 people have been infected with HIV.

The fight against HIV/AIDS is complex and difficult. Services provided to the community by VAC need to be expanded and in some cases diversified to meet growing challenges. Money raised for VAC goes towards funding:

- Counselling services for individuals and couples who are infected with, affected by or at risk of contractingHIV/AIDS.

- Specific services designed to meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.

- A community health clinic in St Kilda provided specifically for people living with HIV/AIDS

- Health promotion programs which use a range of preventative and health promotion strategies to at risk and/or affected communities.