HIV rate shave more than doubled in Ireland in the last year, new Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) statistics show.

It finds that for the first 51 weeks of the year, cases across nine disease types had risen by 56 per cent, the Irish Times reports.

The HSPC is the body responsible for tracking rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a reduction in the number of HIV
diagnoses during 2020 and 2021.

The HSPC says this is because of lockdowns, social and physical distancing measures and reduced testing opportunities.

Its data for HIV cases shows a rise from 400 in 2021 to 874 in 2022 — a 118% increase.

"The restrictions on travel were also lifted in early 2022 which has resulted in increased migration following two years of reduced numbers", it said.

Asylum seekers and refugees

The HSPC says that more than three-quarters of the people who tested positive for HIV in 2022 were already diagnosed somewhere outside Ireland.

"People with a previous HIV diagnosis are included in the national data as it is their first
diagnosis in Ireland", it said.

"However, it is important to distinguish between people who were previously diagnosed from those who were not, in order to understand the epidemiology of HIV in Ireland and the impact of prevention campaigns."

A report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) notes that Ireland was among a small number of European countries that saw applications rise continuously throughout the first six months of 2022.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the displacement of millions of people and Ireland has welcomed more than 60,000 since the outbreak of war.

Excluding those with a previous diagnosis of HIV outside Ireland reduces the rate in the first nine months of
2022 from 13.5 to 6.6 per 100,000 population.

Main image shows blood samples in tubes to test for HIV. Picture by: Science Photo Library / Alamy