AIDS - New Zealand

ABSTRACT

In 2020, 75% of all locally acquired HIV diagnoses will be among gay, bisexual, and other males who have sex with men, indicating that they will continue to be the group in New Zealand most at risk for contracting the virus. Since the peak in 2016 (n=97), the number of MSM reported to have contracted HIV in New Zealand has been declining, with the number in 2020 (n=49) being the lowest since 2011. This is probably because pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and more testing choices are being pushed and made available to this group as combination preventive treatments. Less transmission as a result of COVID-19 physical distancing measures and more restricted testing access will also have contributed to the drop in 2020. It will be crucial to keep an eye on these figures to see if the lower trend persists, as well as to keep up the preventative efforts of routine HIV testing and linking to care and treatment, investigating potential sexually transmitted diseases. In New Zealand in 2020, little over half (54%) of people with heterosexually acquired HIV had a CD4 count at the time of diagnosis that was less than 350 cells/mm3, which was a sign of a delayed diagnosis of their HIV. In addition, six of the 14 patients who received an AIDS diagnosis in 2020 were heterosexually acquired;four of them also received an HIV diagnosis at the same time. Therefore, even if there do not seem to be any obvious risk factors, doctors should test for HIV in patients with similar clinical symptoms. Through antenatal screening in 2020, three women who had recently been diagnosed with HIV were given the opportunity to choose their own medication and care, lowering the chance of mother-to-child transmission. The significance of the antenatal HIV screening program in preventing vertical and secondary transmission is further highlighted by this.