KEY POINTS:
The Ministry of Health has issued a warning over an HIV-infected prostitute from Australia who visited New Zealand last month.
Hector Scott, 41, has since been charged in Australia for knowingly infecting his clients with sexually transmitted diseases and failing to register as a sex worker.
Health officials said they had no idea where Scott stayed when he was in New Zealand. He flew into Auckland from Canberra on December 23 and left Auckland on December 30.
The Ministry of Health here has urged anyone who may have had sex with him to immediately contact their local sexual health clinic.
The ministry said nobody had so far come forward with concerns about their health and they did not know if Scott had sex with anyone during his stay.
A senior adviser with the ministry, Alison Roberts, said the ministry understood he had had both men and women clients in Australia and offered services under the aliases of Josh and Adam.
The ministry had sought information from Australian authorities about any further details about his activities here.
"We do not know if he had sex with anyone in New Zealand or whether he may have had sex in Australia with New Zealanders who have travelled there," Dr Roberts said.
"Nor do we know if he practised unsafe sex in these situations, but given the fact he is being prosecuted in Australia it is wise to pass on the warning here."
The Australian Capital Territory health system is desperately trying to contact 250 people who might have been infected with the HIV virus by Scott, who was charged in the ACT Magistrates Court this month with knowingly infecting someone with a sexually transmitted disease and failing to register as a sex worker.
The Health Department in Australia first became aware of Scott's actions on December 20 last year when notified by another jurisdiction. The department alerted police within 24 hours.
But Scott was not issued with a public health order - to stop working as a prostitute - until January 4, when he was arrested.
Scott is due to reappear in the ACT Magistrates Court on February 7.
- NZPA AAP
