BOSTON – HIV-positive women in New York City are more likely to have unprotected sex than infected gay or heterosexual men, a new Health Department survey has found.

The anonymous computer-assisted study done in 2004 of 1,106 HIV patients found that more than 750 of them were sexually active.

Among those, 307 women were sexually active, with nearly half, 144, saying they had engaged in unsafe sex within the previous 12 months.

This shows that “people, even though they are infected, still need to use condoms,” said Christopher Murrill, the New York City Health Department’s research director.

He said condom use was essential by this group not just to prevent spreading the virus but to ensure they didn’t get other infections.

Murrill presented the findings yesterday at an international scientific gathering here to discuss HIV.

Participants in the Health Department study at four city-run clinics were not asked if they told their partners their HIV status and Murrill couldn’t say for sure if more infected women were in general practicing unsafe sex or just more willing to report it.

The reasons given by participants for unsafe sex included: partners didn’t want to use condoms; none were immediately available; some partners also had the HIV virus; and safe sex was difficult to practice.

Marjorie Hill, who runs the women’s Institute at Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), said a lot of women are still struggling with safe sex issues even when they already are infected.

“Some women don’t feel they are equal partners [for socio-economic reasons] and can’t make demands on the men,” Hill said.

She also pointed out that it is men who actually need to use the condoms.

Of 341 HIV-infected heterosexual men, 131, or 38 percent, had unsafe sex within the previous year.

For gay men, 51 out of 137, or 37 percent, had had unprotected sex with other men.