World AIDS Day 2023
Today is World AIDS Day. It’s a day where people around the globe unite to show support for those living with and affected by HIV and to remember those whose lives were lost. The global UNAIDS theme for 2023 is Let Communities Lead, emphasising the pivotal role of communities in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. HPSC celebrates and supports the work of communities in the response to HIV.
Latest HIV data from HPSC shows a 16% decrease in the rate of first-time HIV diagnoses in Ireland (i.e. no history of a previous HIV diagnosis) in 2022 compared to 2019. The key population group affected by HIV in Ireland remains gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, who accounted for 58% of first-time HIV diagnoses in Ireland in 2022.
Surveillance that is of high quality, timely, detailed and comprehensive is vital for understanding and responding to the latest trends and features of the HIV epidemic in Ireland, to monitor the progress towards UNAIDS targets of zero new HIV infections by 2030.
For more read our World AIDS Day article in the December issue of Epi Insight