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'Time to act': HIQA report finds PrEP programme to reduce HIV rates would be cheaper and more effective

A draft report on the introduction of the programme was published today.

THE HEALTH INFORMATION and Quality Authority (HIQA) has revealed that the introduction of a ‘PrEP’ programme to reduce HIV rates in Ireland would be cheaper than current care.

A draft report published by the authority today confirmed that a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme would be safe and effective at preventing HIV in those most at risk to the virus.

The treatment is the most recent development in the field of HIV prevention, and sees patients pre-emptively take a fixed dose of oral medication.

As part of a PrEP programme, service-users are also monitored for side effects, tested for HIV and other STIs, and given counselling and advice on safer sex practices.

There were 492 diagnoses of HIV notified in Ireland in 2017, just over half of which were in men who have sex with men.

Dr Máirín Ryan, HIQA’s deputy chief executive said the virus remained a significant public health concern in Ireland, but suggested the introduction of a PrEP programme could reduce this.

“From reviewing the evidence, HIQA has found that PrEP is safe and highly effective at preventing HIV in people at substantial risk,” she said.

“Additionally, implementing a PrEP programme would be considered cost saving compared with standard care.”

Following the publication of the draft report, HIQA will now begin a five-week public consultation on the introduction of the programme before issuing a final report to the Minister for Health, Simon Harris.

Speaking today, Harris said the publication of the draft report was a significant step in the introduction of a PrEP programme.

“Reducing the number of new HIV diagnoses in Ireland is a priority focus for me as Minister for Health,” he said.

“The introduction of a PrEP programme will make a significant contribution to that aim.”

The public consultation will be open until 28 May, after which HIQA will submit its final report to the Minister.

Commenting on the report, HIV Ireland welcomed its findings and urged the Government to proceed quickly with the programme following the public consultation.

“A fully funded PrEP Programme is a crucial intervention to adopt in order to reverse the current upward trend in new HIV diagnoses,” the group’s executive director Niall Mulligan said.

“With ten people being newly diagnosed with HIV in Ireland every week, any delay in introducing this programme will have a devastating impact on many people’s lives. Now is the time to act, and act fast.”

In 2015, the government promised to open the first supervised drug injecting centre in Ireland within two years. In the latest episode of The Explainer podcast, Sinead O’Carroll, Cormac Fitzgerald and Christine Bohan delve into why this hasn’t happened yet – and whether it ever will.


The Explainer / SoundCloud

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    Mute Coli Byrne
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    Aug 28th 2022, 8:27 AM

    “Here’s what to do when the door falls off lads…”

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    Mute David Stapleton
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    Aug 28th 2022, 8:44 AM

    @Coli Byrne: thanks for that, I’m sitting on the small balcony of a rented Airbnb room in Toulouse, trying to be quiet and starting laughing my @55 off.

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    Mute John Doyle
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:07 AM

    @Coli Byrne: Brilliant

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:40 AM

    @Coli Byrne: LoL

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:28 AM

    Before the rot of comments on a sunday creep in, let me say that they save so so many lives in rural communities with the gold plated work they do as air ambulance, last year i saw them save three lives on a sunday morning.. They didnt show anything but professional standards to the commuinty.. Hat off to them (point your ire to the politcal class)

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:44 AM

    @David Dineen: 99 untimely deaths of their own personnel, average age 53, hundreds of personel sick, genetic & developmental harm to the children of personnel, fish kills in local rivers, lying to WRC, lying to HC, CoA & SC, lying to EPA, lying to Oireachtas via Minister, legal action threatened by HSA & FSAI, serious sexual assault allegation by both male & female personnel, medical boarding of sick personel they injured, theft of aircraft to avoid mandatory drugs test, rigging of air quality tests, hiding of adverse air quality test results, use of banned chemicals, dumping of toxic chemicals in the ground and on and on and on.

    I’ll point my ire at the perpetrators thank you.

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:52 AM

    @Gavin Tobin: you do realise you talking about the process and policy etc? Im writing about the in realtime experience of humans saving humans using proffesional and empathic skills, before or after ur ire is wasted and saved in the datashpere for ever maybe dont be so harsh on you and others, its not a good look and wont get u far in making your valid points stick to the heart of those who u want to change

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 11:01 AM

    @David Dineen: I’m talking about the culture, the Air Corps are a rogue service. Air Ambulance is not a military role and civvy Air Ambulance can save lives too without the corruption, negligence & incompetence.

    You are making a “but what about all the good priests” argument. The Air Corps are letting their own personnel die without medical intervention by downplaying the scandal to everybody in authority & media they have the ear of.

    The RAAF did the right thing quickly in a similar scandal that reduced suffering and saved lives. Why can’t the Air Corps do that, why are they letting their own die unnecessarily?

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 11:29 AM

    @Gavin Tobin: as a sexual abuse surviour of familly and insutional abuse i reject your insenstive comment, it says alot when peoole use the pain and suffering of a group of people whose vioces remain shut because of abuse to make a point…

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 11:40 AM

    @David Dineen: Thanks for the straw man argument, I’m not buying it. The Catholic Church needed good people look the other way for their corrupt ways to continue. The Irish Air Corps also needs people to look the other way and also needs apologists to help perpetuate their saintly myth.

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 12:27 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: people like you u mean? Yup i agree your parents and no doubt the cultrue of raising you deeply contributed to the abuse of children..

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    Mute Damien Leen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:18 AM

    And this one time we actually got to fly in the helicopter!

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    Mute Gin & Jetfuel
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:23 PM

    @Damien Leen: Oddy enough those of us living near Baldonnel see these rotary winged aircraft overhead multiple times a day.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:24 AM

    Will #IrishAirCorps be sending their incompetent & negligent Health & Safety experts too?

    Perhaps they can tell the yanks about the body count in Heli Wing from catastrophic chemical health & safety from the late 60s to present as well as chemical hazing incidents in the past that destroyed the health of Heli & Avionics personnel as well as many others passing the hangar doors.

    The attempted media rehabilitation of the Air Corps is nauseating at this stage. #99dead #IAC100 #DelayDenyDie

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    Mute Eoin Roche
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    Aug 28th 2022, 1:10 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: Your copy and paste diatribes on every article about the Defence Forces are boring at this stage. These claims for damages caused allegedly by chemicals misuse are with the State Claims Agency now, are they not? What do you expect to achieve with this guff every five minutes?

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 2:48 PM

    @Eoin Roche: My priority is to help save lives and reduce suffering. This is not being done as it was done in NL Defence Forces & RAAF with targeted medical intervention.

    State Claims Agency are frustrating cases & High Court doesn’t do healthcare.

    Thanks for your concern and apologies for boring you Sir.

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    Mute Eoin Roche
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:33 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: And what does repeatedly posting the same grievances here do for any of that? Anyone with an interest in the Defence Forces knows about these issues for at least the last 5 years. Bleating about how the media cover current DF stories, as if it has some context to those cases, is just a waste of everyone’s time.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:39 PM

    @Eoin Roche: The public need reminding of state impropriety such as DF incompetence, negligence & corruption especially when the DFPO are on an inane propaganda offensive.

    I’ll keep fighting for those without a voice and for those who are not taking legal cases.

    You keep looking the other way like a proper yes man!

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    Mute Dave Omihuly
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:50 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: plus the chief of staff is flying club so he is plugging his own branch in the media 24/7 just like the Muppet melett before him was banging on about the navy …. hasn’t been a real chief of staff since the 90is now its just a political appointment actually they would probably be better off letting the orderly sgt on the day do the job of COS

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:58 PM

    @Dave Omihuly: Yea it was all ships for years with no one to sail them, now it’s all airplanes with no one to maintain them except manufacturer contractors.

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    Mute Pat O'Brien
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:05 AM

    So I have just reached the end of the Internet.

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    Mute Reg
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    Aug 28th 2022, 11:37 AM

    Nice jolly!

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    Mute Dave Omihuly
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:46 AM

    I bet that flight sgt feels right out of place stuck with a bunch of officers

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    Mute Y U no spell good?
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:50 AM

    @Dave Omihuly: even with the Sgt who was part of the the team of three?

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Aug 28th 2022, 12:42 PM

    The joke at the time going around was that the decision to purchase the AW139 was due to all the property developers using them.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 1:03 PM

    @Dave Byrne: A civvy spec heli just painted army green.

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    Mute Gin & Jetfuel
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:25 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: so quite appropriate as a “Utility transport helicopter” then?
    Lots of military forces use ruggedised civil vehicles.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:33 PM

    @Gin & Jetfuel: it is not ruggedised in any way. The bean counters in the DoD would not allow it. Apparently even the green paint had to be fought for.

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    Mute Dave Omihuly
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:44 PM

    What the hell can our flying club teach the US military about choppers they are flying every shape and size of chopper that’s around….they are use them like we use jeeps in the defence forces here ….and many of them flown by national guard ( reserve’s) they have that many of the things if they break one they take a new one out of the wrapper…..and are doing so well before Vietnam…when we where still using British army left over vehicles….as usual nice mingy trip for a few officers out of the flying club

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:00 PM

    @Dave Omihuly: Did they bring a higher (unneeded) rank to maximise sub :)

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    Mute Mick Cullen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:19 AM

    Ha Ha Ha Teeeee

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    Mute
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:20 AM

    Why?

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:28 AM

    They need to teach the yanks how to close the aft doors properly, air corps leaders in door losing :)

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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    Aug 29th 2022, 7:36 AM

    Are we sending over our aircraft Carrier experts too? (though right now the Royal Navy may have a greater need for our Carrier expertise as the UK flagship carrier is broken down and anchored off the south coast.)

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    Mute Dónal Ó Keeffe
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    Aug 29th 2022, 8:56 AM

    Just a purchasing mission. Wining and dining our officers to sell us some helicopters

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