Vol. 527 No. 5
1 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the level of increase of HIV, attributable to drug abuse, sexual activity and other sexually transmitted diseases; and the causes of the significant increases in recent years. [28805/00]
From 1 January 2000 to 30 June 2000, 169 new cases of HIV were reported to my Department. This compares with 76 new cases of HIV reported from 1 January 1999 to 31 May 1999 and an overall figure of 209 new cases for all of 1999. The 2000 figures represent a significant increase over previous years. Of the new cases in 2000, 57 or 33.7% are intravenous drug users, 46 or 27.2% are heterosexuals and 32 or 18.9% are homosexuals or bisexuals. Of the remaining cases, 27 are children at risk, three are within the prisoners category, two cases are haemophiliacs who acquired the virus outside Ireland and two cases are in the risk unspecified category.
It appears that the availability of effective triple therapy treatments for HIV has resulted in the disease being seen as a chronic illness rather than a death sentence, which would have been the case previously. This is thought by many to be part of the reason that people are engaging in activities such as needle sharing and unprotected sexual intercourse which puts them at increased risk of contracting HIV.
Figures on HIV-AIDS reflect those in the developed world with a lowering of cases and deaths from AIDS in recent years but a rise in the number of cases of HIV. We must be vigilant about this condition and my Department will continue to give priority to HIV and AIDS. The national AIDS strategy committee, which I chair, published "AIDS Strategy 2000" last June. This strategy sets out a framework for future developments to address HIV and AIDS and makes many recommendations to control its spread. The committee together with its sub-committees, which meet on a regular basis, will work towards the implementation of those recommendations in the coming months and years.
Additional InformationSince 1992 additional funding has been provided each year to health boards to address the problems of drug misuse and HIV-AIDS. HIV is strongly linked with intravenous drug misuse, with 41% of all HIV infections being drug misuse related. To respond to this, health board services include methadone treatment and needle exchange in the range of services for drug misusers. These services have seen significant expansion in recent years.
Health boards have developed a range of interventions among the gay community aimed at lowering the incidence of HIV in homosexuals which accounts for 22.4% of HIV cases, including supporting a gay HIV prevention strategies project. With increasing numbers of people presenting with a range of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, a priority for 2001 is the appointment of two new infectious diseases consultants in the Dublin area and one in the Western Health Board. Funding for these posts is being made available by my Department in 2001.
My Department also continues to produce a range of materials and literature to run awareness campaigns to inform the public, especially young people, about the dangers of HIV-AIDS. Specific messages have been placed in the washroom areas of third level colleges and some nightclubs and pool halls. Most recently, the decision by the Department of Education and Science to introduce relationship and sexuality education into schools will also contribute to creating a greater awareness of the issues among young people.
I will ask the national AIDS strategy committee at its next meeting in January 2001 to examine whether additional measures are required in addition to those recommended in its June report in light of the increasing incidence of HIV.
Did the Minister say 169 at the start of his reply?
That is correct.
What period was that?
Six months.
I have a number of questions. The Minister did not give any figures for other sexually transmitted diseases aside from cases of HIV. Has the Department or the Eastern Regional Health Authority any research to show that the fact that Dublin has become a weekend destination for revellers from abroad has contributed to the significant increase in the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV?
Does the Minister agree that there is need for a major campaign to inform young people in particular about the dangers of HIV being transmitted either sexually or through shared needles? In the late 1970s and early 1980s we got a terrible fright about AIDS. That caused people, particularly among the homosexual community, to take precautions and be aware of the dangers. Does the Minister agree today's young population is not as fearful of these dangers because it has not been educated to be fearful? Does he further agree that there is a need for a strong special campaign to educate young people about the dangers in this area?
There is no specific research but we have the numbers for the Eastern Regional Health Authority area and 132 of the 169 are in that region. The population is very mobile and I am sure that is a contributory factor in the increase. The sexual mores of the population, especially among young people, have changed in recent years and people are not as fearful. They are taking more risks, particularly heterosexuals. A great deal of work has been done with homosexuals and the numbers are decreasing in that group.
I agree with the Deputy that we must redouble our efforts in the education area. A programme is being conducted through radio and television and there is also a programme for schools on sex education. That will be helpful and it is very necessary. The Deputy asked about other sexually transmitted diseases. The incidence of diseases such as chlamydia, candidiasis, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis has increased in recent years. That represents a change in our environment. We have a mobile population of young people. I am not sure one can specifically attribute the increased incidence to the fact that Dublin is a capital for the weekend activity the Deputy described but there is no doubt that people are taking more risks. That might be partly due to AIDS-HIV now being seen as a chronic sexually transmitted illness rather than the death sentence it was thought to be previously.
