KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's largest survey of people with the virus that causes Aids has found high condom use in casual relationships, but that some do not use protection even when they do not know their partner's HIV status.
About 1500 people in New Zealand are living with the human
immunodeficiency virus.
In the survey of 261 HIV-positive people, just over half reported having sex with casual partners in the preceding six months.
Of the 59 people who said they did not know the HIV status of their most recent casual sexual partner, 52 used condoms.
Of the six whose most recent casual partner was HIV positive, four used condoms.
All nine of those whose most recent casual partner was HIV negative used condoms.
Dr Jeffrey Grierson, of La Trobe University in Melbourne, who conducted the survey, said yesterday that the findings on condom use in casual relationships were very similar to those from New Zealand research in 2001 and surveys in Australia.
"Most people are using some form of protection when there's a possibility of transmission [of HIV], but there's a small number of cases where that's not happening.
"People knowing their HIV status is a big motivator for condom use. While we have seen drops in condom use in gay men generally, in those with HIV it's still at relatively high levels."
Aids Foundation executive director Rachael Le Mesurier said HIV-positive people were very committed to making sure they did not transmit the virus.
She said condom use was high by gay men when HIV first emerged, but it had become "more challenging to encourage gay men to use a condom every time", after the success of antiretroviral medicines.
The rising incidence of HIV indicated condom use had decreased.
In the survey, 63 per cent agreed that it was legally okay for someone to use a condom for sex and not to tell their partner about their HIV status.
The survey found significant improvements in health and wellbeing, including increased use of antiretroviral medication (73 per cent, up from 64); a higher proportion in paid work (62 per cent, up from 53); and fewer people reporting their HIV status had been disclosed without their permission.
Fourteen per cent said they had experienced workplace discrimination because of their HIV status.
