8623 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health

8623 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health: What progress, if any, has been made in the last quarter (September – December 2023) has been made toward the action ‘Improving national surveillance’ under Focus area 1: ‘Surveillance, information and knowledge system actions’ as recommended in the National HIV Action Plan?

Hon Matt Doocey: I am advised that, in the October – December 2023 quarter, a review was completed by ESR on HIV seroprevalence studies in priority populations to inform Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora’s next steps. Health New Zealand also consulted the Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections (STBBI) Technical Advisory Group on HIV surveillance actions, including behavioural surveillance and seroprevalence, to support further prioritisation and surveillance research work. I am further advised that work began to commission behavioural surveillance research, and options were being investigated for HIV modelling and work with migrants.