Almost half those suffering from HIV in Ireland are immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa

Ann Cahill:

Experts warn there is a resurgence of HIV in Europe with a 23% increase last year, much of it among young people. The figures, released ahead of World AIDS Day on Thursday, show a 69% increase in HIV in Britain, the largest in the EU, with 60% of cases coming from Africa. Of those diagnosed with HIV in Ireland, 43% now come from Africa.

Ireland now has 3,764 people diagnosed with HIV and 813 with AIDS, one of the lowest proportions in the EU. Last year three people died from AIDS.

But the figures, according to the United Nations, are grossly underestimated. They believe more than 2 million are living with HIV in Western Europe compared with official figures of less than 300,000.

One factor influencing the figures is the testing rates. Ireland has one of the lowest rates in Europe with only about half a percent of the population tested for the virus in 2000 compared with 9% in Austria.

The EU country with the biggest number proportionately of AIDS cases is Estonia, but it also has one of the most comprehensive testing rates.

Most HIV positive cases in Ireland are among the heterosexual population though this decreased last year while there was an increase in the number of intravenous drug users contracting the infection.

When it comes to full-blown AIDS over half the cases identified in Ireland are among Irish-born while 39.5% are from sub-Saharan Africa.

Of the 813 people living with AIDS in Ireland last year, the largest single group was drug users (295) followed by gay and bisexual men (273), while 151 were heterosexual and 29 were children who had been infected by their mothers before birth.

William Powderly, Professor of Medicine in UCD and consultant at the Mater said the continuing rise in the number of HIV cases is due to intravenous drug users and he also noted the increase in the number infected coming from sub-Saharan Africa.

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