Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock/fizkes

'The worst I've seen yet': Concern as number of HIV and STI diagnoses rise this year

A total of 11,078 STI diagnoses have been reported so far this year.

OVER 450 PEOPLE in Ireland have been diagnosed with HIV so far this year, while a total of 11,078 sexually transmitted infection diagnoses were reported. 

According to provisional data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), there were 454 new HIV diagnoses from January to November 2018.

This is an increase of 66 people compared to the same period last year.

There has been a 6% increase in STI diagnoses overall when compared to figures from January to November 2017, which may not seem like a lot, but when broken down there have been 6,739 cases of Chlamydia, 1,989 of Gonorrhoea, 1,383 of Herpes, 19 cases of Lymphogranuloma, 441 of Syphilis, and 53 reported cases of Trichomoniasis.

In the week ending 10 November 2018, there were 337 reported cases of newly diagnosed STIs.  

PastedImage-86743 HPSC HPSC

Niall Mulligan, Executive Director of HIV Ireland told TheJournal.ie that the provisional figures for the year so far are the worst he has seen. 

“I don’t think we’ve seen that kind of data but it’s disconcerting that we’re almost becoming accepting of this.

“These figures are provisional but they do give a good indication of how things are going to be at the end of the year.

“So, it’s inevitable that we’re going to see 500 plus new diagnoses again this year.” 

Mulligan says there are multiple reasons for the rise in HIV diagnoses figures, two being that people are being diagnosed a lot quicker than before and that the figures include a number of individuals who would have been previously diagnosed with HIV abroad but are included in Irish figures when they get tested while receiving treatment here. 

While these figures should be approached with caution Mulligan believes that “whatever way you look at it, over 500 new HIV diagnoses is a significant amount of people who are now living with the disease that didn’t know about last year”.

Commenting on the rise in reported cases of HIV, the HSE said its response to halting the transmission of HIV has included increasing the availability of HIV testing, continued provision of condoms, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), treatment as prevention (TasP) and harm reduction interventions for persons who inject drugs.

It added that in recent years, HIV and STIs have disproportionately affected men who have sex with men, and in response, through the work of a national multisectoral group, an evidence-based action plan to reduce HIV and STIs in MSM has been produced and is currently being implemented.

Stigma 

Getting diagnosed with HIV can be a traumatic experience according to Mulligan, as people struggle to get to grips with the fact that they’re living with HIV. 

In HIV Ireland’s People Living with HIV Stigma Survey 2017, around two-thirds of people feared being rejected in a relationship and around half of this number had actually been rejected.

It also found that the majority of people living with HIV (61%) had not disclosed their HIV status at some point as they were afraid they would be judged or treated differently if they did.

“I think that’s possibly one of the reasons why people don’t go and get tested because there’s a stigma around being diagnosed with HIV,” Mulligan said. 

Sex Ed 

The figures for the week ending 10 November 2018 shows that for 15-24-year-olds there were 141 cases of newly diagnosed STIs.  

According to the HSE young people often have more sexual partners than older adults and may be less likely to use condoms, which make them vulnerable to getting an infection.

“Another reason STIs may be increasing is that there may be more awareness of STIs, so more people are getting tested,” a HSE spokesperson said. 

However, Mulligan believes that poor sexual education in schools needs to be held to account when looking at the level of STI diagnoses. 

“If you look at secondary schools and even at university level, a large majority of young people have not had a good experience of sex education.

“That is dangerous, it means people pick up misinformation and myths from outside of an education setting and they dismiss some of the risks.

In terms of HIV for example, young people might say ‘I didn’t realise it was still an issue’ or ‘isn’t that a gay man’s disease if, I’m a heterosexual man that’s not going to impact me’.

Union of Student’s Ireland Vice President for Welfare Damien McClean told TheJournal.ie that students should not be learning about sexual health in their first week of college and that the onus is on the government. 

“We need to have the support of the government in educating them at second level education because students are having sex before they come to college.

“If we don’t change the education then how can we expect the rates of diagnoses to change?” 

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
55 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jimmy Chickens
    Favourite Jimmy Chickens
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 7:49 AM

    Shocking. Guns shouldn’t be so freely available.

    434
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Nora McElhinney
    Favourite Nora McElhinney
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 9:25 AM

    @Jimmy Chickens: will they ever learn????? Just gather around the campfire, light a few candles, sing a few verses of kumbya and wait for the next armed lunatic….. so sad RIP

    201
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Leadóg
    Favourite Leadóg
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 8:04 AM

    Nothing changed after Sandy Hook. I don’t wish harm on anyone but maybe it’s going to take the death of a top NRA person or an NRA supporting politician in a mass shooting for things to change.

    268
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ciaran
    Favourite Ciaran
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 11:37 AM

    @Leadóg: true but they all carry guns with them so it’s unlikely they themselves would be a victim.

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute JPM
    Favourite JPM
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 2:49 PM

    @Leadóg: exactly. When nothing happened after Sandy Hook it’ll never happen

    101
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colm Coughlan
    Favourite Colm Coughlan
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 7:58 AM

    It’s all okay though, President Biden is praying for the victims and their families.

    155
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Ebbs
    Favourite Jason Ebbs
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 8:01 AM

    @Colm Coughlan: not just Biden, that’s all any of them did.

    149
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute pkunzip doom2.zip
    Favourite pkunzip doom2.zip
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 8:29 AM

    @Colm Coughlan: and his wife

    28
    See 6 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Byrne
    Favourite Michael Byrne
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 9:42 AM

    @Colm Coughlan: Just like Trump did for the countless number of mass shootings that happened whilst he was in office. It’s quite clear the problem lies in the easy access to guns and the fear mongering and hate news that’s spread by OAN and Fox News…..

    109
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Furey
    Favourite Paul Furey
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 10:39 AM

    @Colm Coughlan: you do realise trump was far worse….even though he has recently repeated he is the best thing ever for Christianty. Biden may be sincere, but trump is always ever only playing his twisted little game.

    67
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tricia G ☘️
    Favourite Tricia G ☘️
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 11:38 AM

    @Colm Coughlan: At least when Biden says he’s praying for them you’d actually believe he is…..

    63
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
    Favourite Dave O'Keeffe
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 2:22 PM

    @David Bohane: fun fact: you’re not a criminal until your convicted so the number of criminals who’s bail they paid would actually be a small minority, so that’s two things you’re blowing out of proportion. Also, bail is not a crime.
    The system of policing in the states is diabolical and has over inflated budgets. The idea of defend the police wasn’t that there shouldn’t be police. That’s strike three

    33
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David
    Favourite David
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 2:58 PM

    @David Bohane: if the far left didn’t vote for Biden do you think they would of voted for Trump instead lol

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Seamus Mac
    Favourite Seamus Mac
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 3:06 PM

    @Dave O’Keeffe: strange for the democrats to be bailing people out of jail no? Do the republicans engage in such practices as well?

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute James Lough
    Favourite James Lough
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 7:45 AM

    RIP. Senseless waste of life

    191
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Teresa O'Halloran
    Favourite Teresa O'Halloran
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 8:39 AM

    What a còward. Put the gun to his own neck but didn’t pull the trigger, yet he had no problem shooting thirteen innocent people. His parents have questions to answer for bringing this piece of ßhit into the world.

    203
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute lelookcoco
    Favourite lelookcoco
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 8:52 AM

    @Teresa O’Halloran: His parents? Are you actually serious? So this guy is innocent because his parents are to blame? Engage your brain before making a comment.

    217
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Ebbs
    Favourite Jason Ebbs
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 8:57 AM

    @Teresa O’Halloran: He’s 18, so an adult. This makes him responsible for his own actions and not his parents.

    137
    See 4 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Teresa O'Halloran
    Favourite Teresa O'Halloran
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 9:09 AM

    @lelookcoco: I didn’t say he was innocent. But he has all the signs of a spoilt brat. We need to find out why these kids are doing this by examining their upbringing and their home life. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Which means his parents are probably white supremacists also.

    101
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Teresa O'Halloran
    Favourite Teresa O'Halloran
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 9:13 AM

    @Jason Ebbs: what about the case of Ethan Crumbley, do you think his parents didn’t know what he was planning?

    37
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Ebbs
    Favourite Jason Ebbs
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 9:34 AM

    @Teresa O’Halloran: Difference circumstances. He was 15 at the time of his shooting, so a child.

    28
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Roy Dowling
    Favourite Roy Dowling
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 11:42 AM

    @Teresa O’Halloran: Do you know everything your children are doing?

    36
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave
    Favourite Dave
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 11:24 AM

    Horrific stuff, after seeing the footage.. When you can just roll up with an automatic weapon like that without a second thought, there is something seriously wrong with the American society and the obsession with guns…

    83
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Lynne Colson
    Favourite Lynne Colson
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 9:28 AM

    Unfortunately the U.S. constitution would need to be so changed from “The right to bear arms” for any of this to stop or lessen even. Because the American “forefathers” wouldn’t have been able to have the foresight this far in to the future. A U.S. president is unable to simply change the constitution and the gun lobby is large and vocal. Republicans would never allow this change to the constitution.

    Contrary to popular belief there are a lot of people in the U.S. have no interest in guns.

    61
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Furey
    Favourite Paul Furey
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 10:43 AM

    @Lynne Colson: true! Even if they could change everything just to exclude automatic and assault rifles and all those other mad guns they have over there.

    26
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Seamus Mac
    Favourite Seamus Mac
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 3:08 PM

    @Paul Furey: I think there is an automatic weapons ban but it needs to be strengthened.

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bramley Hawthorne
    Favourite Bramley Hawthorne
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 8:13 AM

    A gun-totting society is a contradiction.

    62
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute E.J. Murray
    Favourite E.J. Murray
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 12:23 PM

    He probably thinks that he’s going to be found innocent like Rittenhouse. The US continues to destroy itself, and all that it’s supposed to stand for.

    44
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonhayes38
    Favourite Jonhayes38
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 9:17 AM

    Thoughts & prayers…

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Seán Ó Briain
    Favourite Seán Ó Briain
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 2:50 PM

    Another MAGA loon.

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Seamus Mac
    Favourite Seamus Mac
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 3:10 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: no just a loon.

    50
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jimmy Reid
    Favourite Jimmy Reid
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 7:54 AM

    What’s NY policy on the d penalty. You’d want this boyo to go for this. Crazy

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute A$AP Ragnick
    Favourite A$AP Ragnick
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 9:10 AM

    @Jimmy Reid: dont think new york have it. Could be wrong though.

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Peter Sutton Fitzgibbon
    Favourite Peter Sutton Fitzgibbon
    Report
    May 15th 2022, 11:26 AM

    …and two were white before surrendering… ?

    17
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds