Virus Will Be Drain: Report (Press, 7 March 1986)

A report from the New Zealand government's A.I.D.S. Advisory Committee, completed in October 1985, has highlighted the anticipated significant impact of A.I.D.S. on the country's health and community services. The committee warns that A.I.D.S. will impose severe financial burdens on New Zealand and lead to challenging social and ethnic issues, along with ongoing publicity and political repercussions. Minister of Health Dr. Bassett noted that many recommendations from the report have already been implemented, as health authorities acted swiftly in response to the emerging threat of the virus. Among the report's recommendations was the advice against immediate legislative action targeting commercial establishments where high rates of A.I.D.S. transmission may occur, such as public bath houses for homosexuals, massage parlours, and houses of prostitution. The committee found no evidence from the United States suggesting that closing these establishments would notably reduce the spread of the virus. Instead, the advisory committee advocated for using these venues to launch comprehensive education programmes aimed at high-risk groups and to promote safer practices to help limit the spread of A.I.D.S. Furthermore, the report raised concerns regarding the extent of semen donations from homosexual males to sperm banks and urged that all such donations be screened for the A.I.D.S. virus promptly. It also recommended that organ donor screenings should include testing for A.I.D.S. virus infection. Another recommendation from the report was to classify A.I.D.S. as a notifiable disease, provided it could be reported anonymously, signalling the importance of tracking its spread. The committee called for a robust educational campaign to curtail the transmission of the virus and proposed the establishment of three special outpatient clinics in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland. These clinics would serve as primary referral centres for diagnosing and managing A.I.D.S. and associated diseases. Overall, the report reflects a proactive approach to addressing the health crisis posed by A.I.D.S., with an emphasis on education, prevention, and resource allocation.

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