Mon 30 Sep 2013 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Nigel Dickson More health system resources and more regular sexual health checkups for gay and bi men are urged by two leading HIV and health experts, with one likening the NZ health system's lack of focus on gay health to that faced "by women and Maori back in the 1970s." Evidence is emerging of links between HIV infection and associated sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoea and the HPV virus which causes genital warts and cancer. Associate Professor Nigel Dickson of Otago University noted at a national HIV conference on Friday that there have been distinct and worrying rises in the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections amongst gay and bi men in New Zealand, most of which could be avoided through education and condom use. Dickson noted that between 80 and 90% of all syphilis cases in New Zealand are now transmitted between men who have sex with men, with specific centres of skyrocketing transmission in Christchurch and Auckland. One in five of these men diagnosed with syphilis also have HIV. He says men who engage on anal sex are 2.5 times more likely than others to have sexually transmitted infections and research clearly shows that the more sexual contacts these men have the more likely they are to have one or more sexually transmitted infections. Addressing the direct relationship between HIV and other STIs, Dickson says it is also clear that the chance of contracting HIV is heightened in those who have other infections. And, he said, the acquisition of HIV and other diseases such as syphilis "can impose an additional health burden" on infected men. He said is important that men who have sex with men regularly access sexual health check-ups and advice. Dickson's observations regarding the increasingly clear relationship between HIV and other STIs were backed up by the NZ AIDS Foundation, which noted that the rate of gonorrhoea diagnoses, for instance, last year increased in the general population by 35% but had surged by a massive 114% amongst gay and bi men. Anal and genital warts are the fourth most common sexually transmitted infection amongst gay an bi men and a highly-treatment resistant strain of gonorrhoea has already made its way to this country. Aan increased transmission rate of HPV, the virus which causes cervical and anal cancer, now means that gay and bi men are at a higher risk of getting anal cancer than women are of getting cervical cancer. Our health system is now providing free and widespread HPV vaccination for young women but has so far resisted providing the same precautionary treatment for young gay and bi men. NZAF Executive Director Shaun Robinson said that while issues around HIV infection must continue to be addressed it is important that other health issues disproportionately afflicting men who have sex with men, including alcohol and drug addiction and mental health issues, must receive more attention. He called on the New Zealand health system to acknowledge the specific health needs of gay and bi men and to provide resources to address the deteriorating situation. Robinson slammed the low level of health research and treatment resources for men who have sex with men in New Zealand, likening the lack of priority to that faced by groups such as women and Maori back in the 1970s. He called the lack of focus and commitment "a sign of an immature health system."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 30th September 2013 - 8:09am