Dr Peter Saxton One of the country's most respected HIV and gay men's health researchers has added his voice to the chorus of experts calling for two basic HIV prevention measures to be made available in New Zealand. The latest yearly figures from the AIDS Epidemiology group at Otago University show that last year saw a continuation of recent years' increases in the number of people newly-diagnosed with HIV, who are primarily gay and bi men. Public health authorities such as the World Health Organisation, HIV prevention experts at the NZ AIDS Foundation and health and epidemiology researchers have pointed out that condom use, essential to containing the early decades of the epidemic, is not now enough to contain the spread of the virus, let alone reverse the upwards trend in infections. “High levels of condom use and free HIV testing clinics have traditionally kept transmission at low levels in New Zealand and must continue,” says Dr. Peter Saxton, a researcher at the University of Auckland’s School of Population Health. “However on their own they are no longer sufficient to control an increasingly complex epidemic, and public health responses have to evolve in step. Otherwise we will continue to see the HIV epidemic worsen, when it should be shrinking given the interventions available.” “New prevention tools are needed if we are to reduce the rising number of HIV transmissions in New Zealand, Says Dr. Saxton. “The top new priority is allowing all people living with HIV to start antiviral medication as soon as they are diagnosed. Not only will this improve their health, but it reduces infectiousness to very low levels,” says Dr Saxton." Currently some individuals have to wait for their health to deteriorate before they can start treatment. Saxton says the next priority is "to fast-track the use of antiviral treatment to greatly reduce HIV acquisition among the small number of uninfected individuals at very high risk.” This approach is called HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and while it isn’t formally available in New Zealand, many in the HIV sector are keen to see it progressed for the most at risk individuals. “In the meantime individuals continue to acquire HIV, and the cost of treatment rises. An investment in prevention today really will save many lives and substantial healthcare costs later,” says Saxton. HIV prevention experts are increasingly critical of government agencies refusal to already fund treatment on diagnosis and PrEP. The just-departed head of the NZAF said the gay and bi men's communities should be very angry if funding is not found found for these proven and ultimately cost-saving treatment approaches.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 25th May 2016 - 1:33pm