Australia's rising HIV rates have come under the spotlight in a new United Nations report that shows the disease is generally stabilising worldwide.
The UNAIDS report names Australia alongside Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, China, Britain and most of Africa, as nations in which HIV infections are on the rise.
"After declining sharply in the 1990s, new HIV diagnoses in Australia have increased, from the 763 reported in 2000 to 998 reported in 2006," the report states.
"There is evidence that the prevalence of unprotected sex between men has increased or remained at high levels in recent years in several cities including Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Sydney."
Australian HIV epidemiologists say despite the trend, well documented over the past seven years, Australia's overall infection numbers are still impressively low.
"Numbers might be going up but we still look very good on the world stage as far as overall numbers are concerned," said Professor John Kaldor, head of public health programs at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research in Sydney.
"And we also look very good in terms of our response."
He said Australia still had very low rates in all groups except gay men, where numbers started to rise about 2000.
Surveys have suggested there was an increase in risky sexual behaviour and a slackening in efforts to prevent transmission through education campaigns.
"It's difficult to maintain a focus in any prevention program over a very long period," Prof Kaldor said.
"But the increase made us really refocus our attentions and increase funding to try to bring the numbers back down."
The report, issued ahead of the 17th International AIDS Conference, opening in Mexico City this Sunday, states there were 33 million people living with HIV last year, compared with 32.7 million in 2006.
Some 2.7 million people became newly infected last year.
Mortality from AIDS last year was around two million, about 200,000 deaths fewer than in 2005.
The authors credit the widening distribution of immune suppressing drugs for the decline.