HIV testing among men who have sex with men rose in 2008, for the first time since 2002. The finding comes from a newly released summary report about the Gay Auckland Periodic Sex Survey (GAPSS). GAPSS is an ongoing research programme conducted by the New Zealand AIDS Foundation's Research Unit in collaboration with the University of Otago's Department of Preventive and Social Medicine. Seventy‐nine percent of the 1,527 men who have sex with men (MSM) surveyed anonymously at the Big Gay Out and gay bars, saunas and cruise clubs in 2008 had tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime, compared to 75 percent in the three previous rounds between 2002‐2006. Of those who had ever tested, 4.3 percent had been diagnosed with HIV. Condom use remained steady over time among participants overall, except among the subgroup of respondents who reported more than 20 sexual partners in the six months prior to survey. In 2008, 44.5 percent of this group had engaged in at least one act of unprotected anal sex with a casual partner, compared to 33.6 percent of this group in 2002. Just under half of all respondents had been for a sexual health check in the 12 months prior to survey. One in ten had been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the previous 12 months, an eight percent increase since the 2006 survey. STI diagnoses were most common among respondents with over 50 recent sexual partners. GAPSS lead investigator Dr Peter Saxton says while condom use has generally been maintained over time, the continuing number of new HIV diagnoses indicates that it needs to be even higher if MSM in New Zealand are to bring the epidemic under control. "MSM with high rates of partner turnover are strategically important players in this goal, and the latest findings highlight concerning outcomes for some of these men." The GAPSS report can be accessed online here and free copies can be obtained by contacting librarian@nzaf.org.nz.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 13th October 2010 - 11:30am