Irish AIDS Day

Today, Ireland marks Irish AIDS Day.

However, some Irish people still do not recognize HIV or AIDS as hardships that many people in Ireland face on a daily basis. Even when confronted with the reality that a number of people in this country are living with HIV and AIDS, there are those that will lay the blame on foreigners living in Ireland, drug users and homosexuals. This mistaken explanation for the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in any country unfortunately stigmatizes people who are already feeling isolated and at times ostracized by society. With that in mind, it is worth noting some of the most recent findings by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC):

405 new HIV and 28 new AIDS diagnoses were reported to the HPSC in 2008.

The highest number of HIV cases that were reported was due to heterosexual transmission.

Of the 312 reported cases of HIV in Ireland with information available as to the geographical origin of the diagnosed person, it was found that 39% were born in Ireland. This is the same percentage of the overall figure as of those who were born in sub-Saharan Africa.

These figures are just a sample of the available data but were highlighted deliberately to encourage people to question any prejudices they may have about HIV and AIDS. Irish AIDS Day should serve as a reminder that many people in Ireland and around the world fight a disease every day. They should not have to fight a stigma too.