HIV dignoisis rates higest on record for Ireland 2018

[Jim Allen]

I wish I could say the increase is due to better & more screening and sure it plays a part but the issues are:

(my personal opinion)

- Outdated or non existent sex education
  (95% of schools are run by the church)

- Sexed bill delays and arguments over content

- PrEP Delays (Only branded out of pocket legal costing up to 400 euro a month, vs generic at 35/40 euro a month)

- Late start of treat all approach/guidelines in 2018 (TaSP)

- High rates of stigma in Ireland to HIV & Generally the topic of sex

- Approved 2017 safe infection sites still not open with last week delay to plans meaning first site to open end of 2019

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/record-hiv-diagnosis-rates-a-crisis-say-campaigners-906815.html

There were 531 new HIV diagnoses in 2018, the highest number for a year on record.

With its rising number of cases, Ireland is bucking the EU trend. In the UK, a strong prevention approach has led to significant decreases in new cases of the disease.

Ireland is at almost double the European average for new diagnoses.

https://news.sky.com/story/ireland-outdated-sex-education-blamed-for-record-hiv-diagnoses-11646880

Ireland: Outdated sex education blamed for record HIV diagnoses

Numbers are higher than the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, with campaigners blaming sex education that has not changed in 20 years.

A record number of people in Ireland were diagnosed with HIV last year - double that of any other European country, where the virus is decreasing significantly.