WELLINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter is pleased that new results have shown a significant drop in the number of people diagnosed with HIV after increases for the previous five years.

Results released on Wednesday by the AIDS Epidemiology Group, which is based at the University of Otago and funded by the Ministry of Health, showed the number of people diagnosed with HIV last year was 197, nearly 50 fewer people than the previous year and the fewest since 2013 in the country.

"The government is committed to reducing HIV rates in New Zealand, and reducing the stigma associated with HIV," Genter said in a statement, adding that HIV-infected individuals are now able to start treatment immediately on diagnosis.

The New Zealand Pharmaceutical Management Agency, or PHARMAC, in March started funding HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily medication taken to reduce the risk of becoming infected with HIV and people who are at high risk of contracting HIV infection. It is expected that approximately 4,000 people will meet the criteria for this treatment annually.

"Hopefully, these new measures, in addition to existing prevention methods, will help to ensure the number of people diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand continues to drop in coming years."

However, other serious sexually-transmitted infections (STI), such as syphilis and gonorrhoea, have continued to rise and the presence of any STI increases the risk of HIV transmission, she said.