HIV rates have more than doubled in Ireland in the last year, according to statistics released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre(HPSC).
The agency responsible for monitoring rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) reported that during the first 51 weeks of the year, cases of nine types of diseases increased by 56%.
The upward trend follows concerns that Covid-19 restrictions have hampered testing services and people’s ability to report for testing.
HPSC data for HIV shows that cases increased from 400 to 874 at the end of week 51 last year, an increase of 118%.
Compared to the same 51-week period in 2021, gonorrhoea increased by 92%; chlamydia 51%; syphilis 26%; and genital herpes 22%.
Dr Derek Freedman, a specialist in the treatment of STDs, said comparing the data to the Covid year of 2021 “wasn’t the most appropriate” given its unique public health circumstances.
However, he noted that compared to 2019 data, “not the most appropriate” overall infection rates were still on the rise.
“It is extremely disappointing to see HIV on the increase because we know with PrEP that we can prevent HIV,” he said, reports The Irish Times, although he questioned the adequacy of access to the drug in Ireland.
In December, anticipating record diagnosis rates, HIV Ireland called for increased investment in National Sexual Health Service resources to help meet its commitment to end new transmissions. At the time, the number had just passed 750.
“Underdiagnosis of HIV remains a concern,” said its director, Stephen O’Hare, citing estimates from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control that one in eight people were unknowingly living with the virus.
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