The Dublin AIDS Alliance is calling on the Government to provide resources for education about HIV and AIDS.
The latest statistics from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show almost 5,000 people in Ireland had tested positive for HIV by the end of June this year. There were 170 new cases in the first six months of the year.
More than half of the new cases of infection were acquired through heterosexual contact, while 23% were among homosexual men and 12% among injecting drug users.
The Dublin AIDS Alliance has called for a National Sexual Health Strategy and says the Government needs to provide resources to promote education and awareness of HIV and AIDS. The alliance is also calling for VAT to be totally removed from condom sales.
It has been predicted that the number of people in Northern Ireland diagnosed annually with HIV could double this year. As many people were diagnosed in the first six months of the year as in the whole of 2006.
Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride, said be was very concerned by a worrying surge in the number of new cases.
Dr McBride said it was vital that people looked after their sexual health. His warning came as the Communicable Diseases Surveillance Centre in Northern Ireland, (CDSCNI) issued its annual report on the surveillance of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Today is World AIDS Day and marks the 20th anniversary of the event.
