Safe sex message fading

By REBECCA WALSH

Aucklander Bruce Kilmister, who was diagnosed HIV positive 17 years ago, says more money needs to be pumped into public education campaigns to prevent "safe-sex fatigue".

Mr Kilmister, aged 52, contracted the virus in Australia in the 1980s. It was about the same time that public awareness of the virus intensified, only to drop away to the point of being almost non-existent.

He said the safe-sex message needed to be constantly reinforced by the Ministry of Health through campaigns and media coverage.

"That requires money. We are seeing a restricted budget in terms of a health campaign from the ministry. When was the last time you saw a general media campaign for HIV?

"Clearly there is a complacency out there now. A lot of people think it's not a life-threatening disease. They don't consider the consequences of a chronic illness and how debilitating that can be."

Mr Kilmister, who is gay and chairman of Body Positive, a New Zealand support group for people living with HIV/Aids, now takes 25 to 30 pills a day. The medication can cause nausea, diarrhoea, stomach pain and headaches. Worst of all, though, is the lethargy.

"I have always been a very active person ... Not being able to do what I usually do, not being able to make it through the day without having a rest, the restrictions it imposes are the worst thing."

Mr Kilmister said it needed to be remembered that HIV/Aids was not a "gay disease" - nearly half of the HIV population was heterosexual.

He believed that one of the most notable aspects of the latest report was that five children had been diagnosed with the disease - the highest number in one year.

"Those infections could have been avoided altogether if the mothers had been treated or even offered a test."

Mr Kilmister said some people went to Australia for treatment, as some new medications were not funded by the Government drug agency Pharmac.