Cuts putting strain on Hiv services, says group

Investment in HIV and sexual health prevention strategies needs to be a priority for Government, a HIV and sexual health awareness…

Investment in HIV and sexual health prevention strategies needs to be a priority for Government, a HIV and sexual health awareness group said today.

The Dublin Aids Alliance warned that funding cuts are putting strain on HIV and Aids services, and further reductions in funding could have "serious implications" for public health in the future.

The group called on the Government to implement a report published last year, called 'HIV and AIDS Education and Prevention Plan 2008 -2012'.

The group pointed to trends in the last number of years which showed a rise in HIV and sexually transmitted infections in Ireland.

New figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) showed a 3.6 per cent rise in the number of new HIV cases diagnosed in 2008. A total of 405 new HIV diagnoses were reported in 2008. bringing the total number of cases in this country to 5,243 as of December 2008.

The figures indicated that more new cases were being identified in the hetrosexual population, which accounted for 56 per cent of the new infections last year. Some 30 per cent were among men who have sex with men, while only 11 per cent were diagnosed in injecting drug users.