A new FASTEST (Free, Anonymous, Simple Test) for HIV, now available in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch, will be launched in Wellington soon, says the NZ AIDS Foundation. The test – which gives accurate results in exactly ten minutes – led to a 240% increase in Aucklanders going for testing when it was launched there in December last year. The test was then made available in Hamilton and Christchurch from 1st May. The NZAF’s National Positive Health Manager Eamonn Smythe says the delay in rolling out the new test in the capital is due to there not being a Manager at the NZAF’s Wellington Awhina Centre. The interview process is now underway. Once a new manager has been chosen and is in place, the test will launch within six weeks. HIV is most easily transmitted via anal sex without a condom, meaning that men who have sex with men remain the highest group for infection in New Zealand. 70 new infections among gay and bisexual men were recorded last year, a rate of one every five days. “Estimates are that as many as one in three people with HIV don’t know they have it,” the NZAF’s Waikato Regional Manager Tim Allingham says. “It’s better to know if you’re HIV-positive, so you can start looking at treatment early if necessary. If you’ve put yourself at risk by having unsafe sex, or you’re not sure about your HIV status, please come in and pay us a visit.” The 10-minute HIV test is now available free from the following centres: NZAF AUCKLAND BURNETT CENTRE: 1/3 Poynton Tce, Auckland Ph (09) 309 5560 Fax (09) 302 2338 Email: contact.burnett@nzaf.org.nz NZAF HAMILTON CENTRE: 11 Ohaupo Rd, Hamilton Ph: (07) 838 3557 Email: contact.hamilton@nzaf.org.nz NZAF SOUTH/TE TOKA CLINIC: 269 Hereford St, Christchurch Ph (03) 379 1953 Email: contact.tetoka@nzaf.org.nz Ref: NZAF, GayNZ.com (m)