THE RATE AT which women are receiving a first-time HIV diagnosis in Ireland rose sharply in 2024, new data has revealed.
Last year saw a 41% rise in diagnoses compared to 2023.
The largest increase was found to be amongst women aged 45 to 49, while women aged 25 to 29 accounted for the highest number of cases overall.
Ireland’s HIV diagnosis rate fell between 2019 and 2021, but since then the numbers have steadily been on the rise.
Stephen O’Hare, the chief executive officer of HIV Ireland said that the current goal is to eliminate HIV totally in Ireland, so these rising rates “are not a good sign”.
“There’s a persistent misconception that HIV is a men’s issue, but these figures tell a different story. More women are being diagnosed each year and the age trends show they are presenting later, which can lead to worsened health outcomes,” he added.
O’Hare said that Ireland is at a “pivotal juncture” when it comes to our approach to HIV.
“As a nation, we’ve got to address this. The Government must follow through on its programme for government commitment to enact a HIV Action Plan and it must include targeted actions to combat stigma and help people access the services they need. We can’t afford another year of rising cases,” he said.
HIV Ireland is also calling on the Government to expand free and confidential HIV testing, and more widely promote the testing options.
The new data has been released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
It shows that there were 239 first-time diagnoses in 2024, which is a rate similar to pre-pandemic levels in Ireland.
Although men accounted for 67% of new cases, the highest rate for them was in the 30 to 34 age category, while the largest group of women who were diagnosed were in their 20s.
In 2024, 97 first-time HIV cases were among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, 67 were among heterosexual men, and 51 were among heterosexual men.
The majority of diagnoses were amongst people born outside of Ireland, with just 23% of the people who received a diagnosis in 2024 being born in the country.
97% of the first time cases were diagnosed at a late-stage infection, and just 22% were diagnosed at an early stage of infection.
