THIS year is set to see the highest number of new HIV cases on record in Ireland, with ten new diagnoses every week.
Advocate group HIV Ireland has said the country is 'gripped within a HIV crisis that shows no sign of abating' and warned that Ireland is facing the real prospect that new HIV diagnoses will top 500 for the second year in a row.
To date, provisional figures for 2017 indicate there have been 450 new HIV diagnoses in Ireland, similar to this time last year, when a total of 508 people were newly diagnosed as living with HIV.
If this trend continues in 2017, the group said, Ireland is likely to experience one of the highest numbers of new HIV diagnoses on record.
Today, on World AIDS Day, President Michael D. Higgins will host a reception at Aras an Uachtaráin to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of HIV Ireland, and to pay tribute to all people and organisations working to prevent the spread of HIV, both home and abroad.
The global theme for World AIDS Day 2017 is ‘Right to Health – Making it Happen,' promoting the right of everyone to free HIV testing, the right of people living with HIV to be free of the stigma that often accompanies a HIV diagnosis, an end to HIV transmission, and an end to the isolation that can be a result of living with HIV.
Speaking in advance of the event, Mr. Bernard Condon (SC), Chairperson of HIV Ireland said ‘The national and international response to the AIDS crisis is built on the fundamental right to health and well-being of all people.
"World AIDS Day acts as an important reminder of the human rights of all people living with HIV, and the challenges they often face in fulfilling these rights.
"It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure these rights are never forgotten."
Niall Mulligan, the Executive Director of HIV Ireland said “Thirty years on from the early days of our organisation, the landscape has changed dramatically, with people diagnosed with HIV now living longer and healthier lives.
"It is now scientifically accepted that people living with HIV who are compliant with treatment, and have an undetectable viral load, will not pass on HIV to sexual partners.
"However, as we witness a consistent rise in the number of people being newly diagnosed in Ireland with HIV, it is clear we need to be significantly more proactive in our response to this growing crisis.
"HIV Ireland calls on the Government to prioritise community based HIV testing, the availability of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) within Ireland as a proven method of preventing HIV transmission, and a greater emphasis on counselling and support for people living with HIV."
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