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Irish dentists refusing to treat HIV positive patients 'adds to stigma'

The “worrying” levels of HIV diagnoses have been discussed at the Oireachtas Health Committee. There are set to be more cases of HIV in Ireland in 2015 than in any other year.

shutterstock_144206617 An unidentified woman marching to raise awareness regarding HIV stigma in Minneapolis last June Shutterstock / miker Shutterstock / miker / miker

HIV DIAGNOSES IN Ireland are increasing with 25% more cases of the virus discovered in Ireland so far this year compared with 2014.

The levels of HIV diagnosis here were discussed yesterday at the Oireachtas Health Committee at Leinster House.

Currently there are 3,500 people living with HIV in Ireland, executive director with HIV Ireland Niall Mulligan told the committee.

In 2014, 342 new cases of HIV were diagnosed here while in 2013 the figure stood at 377.

Provisional figures up to November for 2015 show that 427 new cases of HIV have come to light, an increase of 85 on last year with one month of the year to go.

203 people were diagnosed in the first half of this year, a rate of more than one person per day.

“Currently 30% of people who have HIV are unaware that they have it,” said Mulligan, citing a World Health Organisation (WHO) figure.

niall mull Niall Mulligan Oireachtas.ie Oireachtas.ie

“There is a lack of access to testing and a lack of awareness regarding the disease.”

Of the new diagnoses in Ireland this year, 85 were men who had had sex with men, 38 came from heterosexual encounters, and one was a child who had the virus passed onto them by their mother.

Mulligan expanded in his remarks to the committee on the stigma that is associated with HIV. Indeed stigma was a word repeatedly used by all three people appearing at the meeting.

By way of example, he cited cases in which HIV Ireland have dealt with people experiencing discrimination:

  • A man who had landed a job on a cruise ship was let go two days later when his positive HIV status became known
  • HIV Ireland had to convince a creche manager that he didn’t need to inform all of his clients of the fact that one child in his care was HIV positive
  • Some dentists in Dublin have either been referring HIV positive patients to community dental schemes, or else scheduling them as their last appointment of the day to “reduce the risk of cross-contamination”

“The negative aspects to a disclosure of being HIV positive are very real. People do not recognise the chaos that such a diagnosis can cause to a person’s career, their college life. At present there are 50 countries around the world that a person with a HIV positive diagnosis cannot travel to,” said Mulligan.

We work to help people navigate the disclosure. It can be quite a complex problem, both from society and as a form of self-stigma.

deordre Deirdre Seery Oireachtas.ie Oireachtas.ie

As regards the increase in rates of diagnosis, Deirdre Seery of the Cork Sexual Health Centre said that there is no concrete data as to why levels are increasing.

“Testing is greatly increasing which may go some way to explaining the figures,” she said.

It is possible that with treatment improving all the time, the lack of visibility of HIV and AIDS has made us complacent. There has undeniably been an increase in risky sexual behaviours.

“Our greatest challenge is to increase testing,” said Seery.

We also need targeted prevention. For most of this country it is ok to be gay. But for many that is still not the case. Many men who have sex with men do not acknowledge being gay.
These hidden populations are very difficult to engage with. By their very nature they’re hidden.
Sex education is effective. And by that I mean sex education, not just reproductivity.

tiernan2 Tiernan Brady Oireachtas.ie Oireachtas.ie

The overall picture is “not good”, said Tiernan Brady, policy director with Ireland’s Gay and Lesbian Network (GLEN).

“Since 2005 we’ve seen a 200% increase in the number of HIV diagnoses,” he said.

This year will see the highest number of diagnoses on record.

Brady also bemoaned the fact that the average age of those who are diagnosed has dropped from 37 in 2005 to 31 today.

“More than anything else we need to make clear the importance of someone knowing what their status is,” he said.

The sooner someone knows the sooner they can begin treatment and the better their long-term health prognosis is.

Brady and Seery nevertheless say there is a lot to be positive about.

2016 will see the pilot of an outreach programme that will see one-minute free testing introduced, thus removing the stigma of attending a medical facility. This type of testing has already been introduced in Limerick and Cork.

Seery also spoke glowingly of the success of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PREP), a pill for preventing HIV negative people who are exposed to the virus from contracting it.

“What’s important now is to figure out who the people are who need this drug most, and to make sure that they get it,” she said.

Read: The needles on the cobbles are nothing new – but the human excrement is shocking

Read: Number of teenagers dying from AIDS has tripled since 2000

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    Jul 10th 2015, 5:01 PM

    I honestly thought that was Graham Dwyer in the lead photo.

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    Jul 10th 2015, 9:28 PM

    this bridge was up graded and now some fool wants to remove it .can you picture the traffic back up with children trying to cross the road.in the first place the road is too wide and would need an island in the middle of this all ready conjested road.leave it alone and keep death off the road.the dublin city counciller who thought up this mad idea should jack in the job

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    Jul 10th 2015, 4:40 PM

    I’d advise people to be very careful about what you comment about this article….wouldn’t want it to be used as an example of how politicians are being given a hard time online.

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    He will looking for a job after the next election.

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    Jul 10th 2015, 4:45 PM

    A hard time? I’m sure the minister can stand up for himself

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    Jul 10th 2015, 6:37 PM

    His teaching job will be there waiting for him.

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    Jul 10th 2015, 6:44 PM

    I wonder will he be welcome back in the north wall.

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    Jul 10th 2015, 4:48 PM

    What next – somebody using Fidelma Healy Eames or Lorraine Higgins’ photos to attract a man on Tinder, or worse?

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    Jul 10th 2015, 6:32 PM

    I think Fidelma Healy Eames is incredibly attractive. Seriously. She’s a very good looking woman.

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    Jul 10th 2015, 4:48 PM

    Ha ha ha I wonder did he get any takers

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    Jul 10th 2015, 4:53 PM

    Who could forget the time hackers attacked Fianna Fail TD Micheal McGrath. They hacked his Facebook page so they could ‘like ‘Milf of the Day’. Those ‘hackers’ eh??

    http://www.dailyedge.ie/michael-mcgrath-milf-facebook-hack-1180951-Nov2013/

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    Jul 10th 2015, 9:20 PM

    because if he was really using Tinder he’d use a Irish Times file photo?

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    Jul 10th 2015, 5:33 PM

    And everyone has to believe the profile is not his!! Lol

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    Jul 10th 2015, 6:48 PM

    Wasted my vote on this clown ..I feel like a right mug

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    Jul 11th 2015, 3:14 AM

    Seems to be the only member of Labour talking sense these days, so why the wasted vote?

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    Jul 11th 2015, 3:34 PM

    Is that you Aodhain ?

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    Jul 10th 2015, 5:50 PM

    “The Master is unmarried, and is likely to remain so “.

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    Jul 10th 2015, 5:24 PM

    so what, ?…He’s an adult

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    Jul 10th 2015, 7:24 PM

    Polling the electorate…

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