Some 344 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in Ireland last year.
Globally, 30 per cent of people living with the virus are doing so without knowing it – that works out at approximately 1,800 people in Ireland.
Dr Erin Nugent, Community Support Coordinator at the Dublin AIDS Alliance, said the biggest issue surrounding HIV is the fact that people are passing it on unwittingly.
“If people don’t know [they are HIV positive] it can cause a lot of complications. People often think they’re not at risk because they have no symptoms.
"People think ‘I’m not a man who has sex with another man, I’m not a sex worker, I’m not from a country where it’s endemic’ and remove themselves from the risk. There’s a continuum of risk and we try every avenue possible to make people aware of this."
Two years ago the Alliance launched a pilot HIV and STI screening programme. This free service was fully rolled out in 2013, testing 194 people: 110 men and 84 women.
Anyone who tests positive is given an appointment at St James’ Hospital.
Nugent said the Alliance’s promotional material particularly targets migrants who may be “unaware of issues and services around HIV and STIs”.
She said many immigrants are fearful that a positive HIV diagnosis could lead to their deportation. At least half of the people diagnosed in Ireland last year were born abroad.
The Alliance held 1,712 interventions in 2013 – covering areas such as counselling for those with HIV, training for health workers and distribution of welfare information.
Nugent said that about 200 people – those with HIV and their families – visit the group’s office in Parnell Square West every week.
Source: Órla Ryan, thejournal.ie, 8/06/14
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