By Cleo Fraser
AUCKLAND, Feb 2 NZN - One in five gay or bisexual men with HIV do not know they have the virus, according to new research.
Of the 1049 men who took part in the Otago University study one in 15 tested positive and 21 per cent of these did not know they carried the virus.
Researchers found 14 of the 67 HIV positive men did not know they were infected.
The study is the first time that a measure of undiagnosed HIV has been recorded in New Zealand.
Lead investigator Dr Peter Saxton says the research highlights the need for better education and promotion of safe sex.
"A person with undiagnosed HIV cannot tell someone they're infected and might not initiate safe sex," he says.
"Individuals with HIV who remain undiagnosed delay treatments that can improve their quality of life and life expectancy.
New Zealand Aids Foundation communications manager Dawn O'Connor told NZ Newswire the figures were very concerning as more than half the men with undiagnosed HIV had been tested in the previous twelve months.
"It's a huge risk at a community level but it's also incredibly bad for their own health," she says.
"The message is really clear, it is that testing alone is not going to prevent the spread of HIV. We have to increase rates of condom use."
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