<p>NZ: Rise in annual HIV diagnoses continues<br /> The NZ AIDS Foundation's increasing focus on New Zealand's population of Asian men who have sex with men has been underscored by statistics showing that 15 per cent of gay and bi men newly-diagnosed with HIV last year were Asian, with Maori close behind on 13%, though by far the biggest ethnic group contracting HIV remains those of European origin.<br />According to data just available, which shows a record number of HIV diagnoses last year, of all the 136 men who have sex with men found to be infected in 2014, including those previously diagnosed overseas, 82 (60%) were New Zealand European, 20 (15%) Asian, 17 (13%) Maori, seven Pacific Islanders (5%) and 10 (7%) were of other ethnicities <br />In April this year the NZAF appointed a prevention worker to specifically reach out to the country's Asian population. It also has a pacific Islands prevention facilitator and has long had a Maori thread to its prevention work.</p>
<p>Auckland, with over a quarter of the country's population and believed to be home to a higher proportion of the country's glbti people, continues to lead the HIV infection figures, as it has done since the start of the epidemic. 79 (58%) of gay and bi men diagnosed with HIV last year were living in Auckland, 19 (14%) in Wellington, 21 (15%) in other parts of the North Island, and 10 (8%) in the South Island. Seven (5%) reported that they normally lived overseas.</p>
<p>The age range of the men diagnosed with HIV last year was 18 - 74 years. 47 (35 %) were aged under 30 years, 32 (24%) aged 30 - 39 years, 33 (24%) aged 40 - 49 years, and 24 (17%) were aged 50 or more. The researchers at the AIDS Epidemiology Group at Otago Medical School note that these infections may have occurred at a younger age than when they were diagnosed.</p>
<p>"Gay, bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be the most affected group," says the NZAF's Executive Director Shaun Robinson. "Of the 217 newly reported diagnoses, 136 (63 per cent) were MSM. Eighty-six (86) of these men were infected in New Zealand compared to 69 in 2013."</p>
<p>"Some gay and bisexual men are simply not responding to the messages to use condoms and lubricant," Robinson says. "While 80 per cent of gay men are high condom users, 20 per cent are not. They may have concluded that HIV is not something to worry about or that they can tell who is infectious and who is not. Sadly this has led to new infections of HIV which remains an incurable disease."</p>
<p>HIV testing numbers across New Zealand have nearly doubled in 10 years, according to Robinson. "This is likely to be diagnosing some of the 20 per cent of MSM who have HIV but do not know it. If the number of undiagnosed cases is reduced this is a good thing. While these men may have been infected some years ago these infections will be showing in the statistics in the year in which they were diagnosed. Once diagnosed, people with HIV can take medication that both improves their health and dramatically reduces their ability to pass on the virus."</p>
