WorldPride Festival Sydney: Warning for gay men to stock up on anti-HIV pills: PrEP

The world’s biggest celebration of LGBTQI lifestyles is coming to Australia next month and revellers are being urged to stay safe by ensuring they have an adequate supply of HIV prevention medication.

The WorldPride festival will run from February 17 to March 5 featuring hundreds of events with organisers expecting about 500,000 partygoers to attend the celebrations.

But sexual health clinics are warning anyone who takes pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to make sure they get their prescriptions filled before the event gets underway. 

Matthew Vaughan, director of HIV and Sexual Health at ACON, said the influx in tourists is likely to increase demand for the drug so it’s best to be prepared.

A group of drag queens and supporters gather with the Sydney WorldPride 2023 logo near the steps of the Opera House

However he added that he doesn’t not expect a shortage of the vital medicine Australia has become a world leader in. 

Festival-goers have also been encouraged to also book in for an mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – vaccine if eligible. 

‘This is the first time that WorldPride has been held in the southern hemisphere and when we think about the countries in our region, many still criminalise homosexuality and do not have access to HIV testing or PrEP,’ Mr Vaughan told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘We want to make sure that we’ve got access available for people. We’ve been working closely with the local health districts to make sure there is access and also education opportunities.’

The number of men contracting HIV has fallen drastically since PrEP – a pill normally taken once a day – was made available. 

The state of New South Wales now aims to eliminate the devastating disease altogether by 2025.

Drag queens pose for pictures on the steps of the Opera House in June as the city prepares to host the WorldPride festival in 2023

Pre-exposure prophylaxis tablets, otherwise known as PrEP, help reduce the chance of HIV transmission

Mr Vaughan is also encouraging revellers to book in for an mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – vaccine if eligible.

The normal course of anti-viral medicine is taken in two doses administer four weeks apart.

‘We’ve done really well in Australia to prevent high rates of mpox, but we are aware a lot of the places people are travelling from have had higher rates,’ he said. 

During the festival Sexual health services and specialist clinics, will be opened for longer hours to cater for the increase in visitors.

GPs and nurses will be given special training before the event in HIV and STI testing, diagnosing and what support services are available. 

Those visiting the WorldPride festival have been urged to consider getting the mpox (formerly known as monkey pox) vaccine (pictured)

The first WorldPride festival was held in Rome in 2020 and the two-week event is held in a different world city normally every two years.

Sydney’s WorldPride festival will coincide with the city’s 50th Australian Gay Pride Week, 45th Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. 

To mark the significant milestones the Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up in the colours of the Rainbow Flag for New Year’s Eve fireworks.

During the festival the bridge will be closed to traffic to allow for a Pride March. 

This will be the first time the bridge has closed since the World Youth Day celebrations in 2008.