While Covid-19 has disrupted most areas of our lives, it's also disrupted the transmission of other viruses like HIV.
Health experts are urging those at risk of catching the sexually transmitted virus to get a test, calling this a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to bring infection numbers down.
Auckland University’s Dr Peter Saxton says transmission of the virus is likely to have all but stopped, and mass testing could keep it that way.
“We want to identify the roughly maybe 700 individuals in New Zealand who we estimate have undiagnosed HIV, get them access to a test, offer them treatment, and that'll mean they're not infectious to other people,” says Dr Saxton.
It’s estimated that around 3500 people are living with HIV in New Zealand, a number that’s been on the rise over recent years.
While modern medication is helping change that, people who don’t know they’re HIV positive pose the biggest risk.
However, it’s not clear how sexual health clinics will operate under Covid-19 Alert Level 2, and whether they’d be able to cope with a testing campaign.
New Zealand AIDS Foundation chief executive Jason Myers told 1 NEWS that they don’t want to swamp the system with the "worried well".
So, to ease pressure, the foundation’s broadening the funding criteria for home HIV testing kits, meaning most gay and bisexual men can order one for free.
"It's a great way to find out your HIV status without having to go into the clinic,” says Mr Myers.
Mark Fisher from Body Positive, a support organisation providing care to people living with HIV/AIDS, welcomes the move.
He says home testing kits are an important tool in HIV prevention.
“It gets to the entire population and we should be testing everyone for HIV to make sure it's eliminated," says Mr Fisher.
Experts also warn that if testing isn’t increased while under lockdown, there’s a risk HIV infection numbers will rise again as we come out of lockdown.
“The risk is if we emerge not having done anything, many people will naturally want to catch up for lost time sexually,” says Dr Saxton.
“There is a risk, in fact, in the next few months we'll see increased rates of transmission.”
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