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Canterbury Acknowledges World AIDS Day
MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 30 November 2009
World AIDS Day Canterbury District Health Board is reminding Cantabrians to have safe sex as the highest number of HIV cases ever was diagnosed nationally last year.
“There were 184 New
Zealanders diagnosed with HIV through antibody testing last
year and a further 78 people were diagnosed in the first
half of 2009,” said CDHB’s Sexual Health Centre’s
Clinical Director Edward Coughlan. “World AIDS Day is
being held on December 1 and it is a good time to remind
people to use condoms,” Dr Coughlan said.
Of those
newly diagnosed in 2008, 91 were men infected through sex
with other men, 61 (39 men and 22 women) through
heterosexual contact, two through injecting drug use and two
through a transfusion (while overseas).
There were
four children infected through mother to child transmission
(three while overseas and one in New Zealand), three people
had another means of infection and the means of infection
was unknown or unreported for 21 people.
New
Zealand’s high rate of sexually transmitted infections
(STIs), compared with similar countries, can increase
people’s vulnerability to HIV infection, Dr Coughlan said.
Wearing a condom can protect people against HIV and these
other STIs, such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia, which are more
commonly transmitted.
“A person infected with HIV
is more likely to pass on HIV if he or she (or his or her
partner) is infected with another STI. This appears to be
true for both STIs that cause genital ulcer diseases –
most commonly genital herpes and syphilis – and also STIs
that result in inflammation without ulcers – such as
gonococcal and chlamydial infections.” The Canterbury
District Health Board sent out an alert in August to general
practitioners about the significant increase in cases of
early infectious syphilis in Canterbury, which follows a
national trend.
“Initially this had been mainly
confined to those men who have sex with other men but there
are now cases occurring in heterosexual men and women,”
said Dr Coughlan. Identifying symptoms when people visit
their general practitioner is a key way to prevent further
spread. Symptoms of secondary syphilis include rashes, mouth
ulcers, and hair loss.
Syphilis, chlamydia and
gonorrhoea can all be treated very effectively with
antibiotics.
“The important message for everyone is
to wear a condom and protect themselves from these sexually
transmitted infections,” said Dr Coughlan.
ENDS
Canterbury DHB
CDHB
Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) is a Christchurch, New Zealand based hospital and healthcare provider for the
Canterbury region of New Zealand. Our region extends from Kekerengu in the North, to Rangitata in the South and Arthurs Pass in the West and comprises the six Territorial Local Authorities of Kaikoura, Hurunui, Waimakariri, Christchurch City, Selwyn and Ashburton.
We collaborate with other health and disability organisations, stakeholders and our community to decide what health and disability services are needed and how to best use the funding we receive from Government to improve, promote and protect the health, wellbeing and independence of our population.
At the Canterbury DHB, our vision is to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Canterbury.
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