Stories

Heather contracted HIV on an overseas holiday

10/02/2026

Women like her are more likely to be overlooked by doctors in Australia resulting in late diagnosis of HIV.

Although early HIV diagnosis is crucial for longevity, women are more likely to be diagnosed late because they are not considered a high-risk group
When Heather Ellis travelled the world by motorcycle in 1993, the Grim Reaper Aids ads were fresh in the then-28-year-old’s mind.
Knowing she was travelling to Africa, where there was a high prevalence of HIV, Ellis had no intention of having sex and did not pack any condoms. But during an “unguarded moment” in Mali, she met someone and spent the night with him.
One year later, and about to enrol in a conversational Russian course at a university in Moscow, she had forgotten about the encounter. So when the HIV test she needed for her visa came back positive, it was a shock.

Read the full article by Nathasa May, in The Guardian published on 10/02/2026.

The Guardian_online article 100226