Enda Kenny
Ceist:250 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Health the number of identified HIV positive and AIDS sufferers in the Western Health Board area for each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - HIV/AIDS Sufferers.
The current reporting system in respect of cases of AIDS does not present data on a health board basis. However, the National AIDS Strategy Committee in an interim report on HIV/AIDS surveillance in April 1992 has recommended that the current HIV reporting system operated by the Department of Health through the Virus Reference Laboratory, UCD, should provide data on a country basis without prejudice to the confidentiality of individual cases. Since then, the laboratory has indicated to the Department that four HIV positive cases have been notified in respect of the Western Health Board area. The HIV surveillance system is being augmented, initially by an anonymous unlinked system under which antenatal bloods taken for routine clinical purposes are tested for HIV. This system is designed to monitor more comprehensively the spread of the infection and will provide more focused data regarding the infection throughout the country.