A total of 1,689 people has tested positive for HIV, 549 have AIDS and 293 have died, the latest statistics for the Republic show.
The statistics, from the Department of Health, show that intravenous (IV) drug users comprise the largest group of people testing positive for HIV antibodies in this State.
The number of new HIV cases to have tested positive between March 31st and September 31st this year was 44. Intravenous (IV) drug users represent 47 per cent of this figure. The statistics were released by the Department of Health following the introduction yesterday by the Minister of State at the Department, Mr Brian O'Shea, of a video, an accompanying booklet and a set of guidelines about HIV/AIDS.
The video, booklet and guidelines, which are to mark Ireland's participation in World AIDS Day on December 1st, are all aimed at those in drug awareness education.
The Department statistics also show that the number of actual AIDS cases confirmed during the same period increased by 35, bringing the total number of AIDS cases in Ireland now to 549.
Here again the IV drug user group accounts for the largest number of cases, or 42 per cent of the total. Homosexuals and bisexuals account for 189 cases or 34 per cent and heterosexuals for 64 (12 per cent). The balance of 63 (12 per cent) is made up of haemophiliacs, children and others.
Mr O'Shea said that almost 47 per cent of those who have died with AIDS so far come from the IV drug user group.
Ms Sharen Oye, executive director of Dublin Aids Alliance, commenting on the statistics yesterday, said: "There is no room for complacency in our responses, there's a definite need to continue with education and preventative programmes." She pointed out that the IV drug users become infected because they share needles.
"I think it's important (to remember) that the statistics don't reveal the true picture of the trauma of living with HIV and AIDS" she added.
To mark World Aids Day, the National Lesbian and Gay Federation has published In Sight: HIV and AIDS In Ireland. The publication includes interviews with HIV positive men and women, statistical analyses and outlooks on prevent ion and education.