New report outlines cost of complacency and urgent steps required to eliminate new HIV diagnoses
Dublin, 15th July – HIV Ireland has today warned that Ireland is seriously at risk of failing to meet its commitment to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. The warning comes as the organisation launches its new report, Towards a National Action Plan for HIV in Ireland, which outlines a detailed roadmap required to get Ireland back on track and deliver measurable action in prevention, testing and care.
The report concludes that achieving the 2030 goal is possible, but only with immediate political commitment, sustained investment and a willingness to adopt proven interventions at scale. The cost of complacency is stark with the report’s findings estimating that the total cost of care for people living with HIV in Ireland between 2025 and 2030 could reach over €694 million, with the additional lifetime costs associated with new diagnoses alone estimated at €2.02 billion.
HIV Ireland Executive Director, Stephen O’Hare, said: “Ireland has the knowledge and the tools to end new HIV transmissions. What this report makes clear is that we are not currently applying them at the scale or speed required. Ireland is reporting rising cases of HIV in certain demographics, we continue to see unacceptable levels of late diagnosis and people seeking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are waiting up to a year. We urgently need the Government to publish a National Action Plan for HIV.”
The new report, produced following a joint HIV Ireland and Fast Track Cities National Conference, calls for a National Action Plan for HIV that moves beyond rhetoric to action, focusing on timelines, accountability and funding. Key interventions include immediately introducing routine opt-out HIV and other Blood-Borne Virus testing in emergency departments to find undiagnosed infections, eliminating PrEP waiting lists and broadening access to testing, treatment and care in the community and primary healthcare settings and away from hospitals.
Professor Yvonne Gilleece, Consultant in HIV Medicine, said: “The experience across the UK demonstrates how a structured, evidence-based plan can lead to measurable improvements in HIV prevention and treatment outcomes. England is on track to eliminating new transmissions of HIV. Developing a similar framework in Ireland is critical if the stated goal of ending new transmissions by 2030 is to be realised.”
Dr Cathal O’Broin, Consultant in Infectious Diseases, said: “HIV care has advanced in Ireland but without sustained effort, Ireland is at risk of reversing progress. The ongoing challenge of late diagnosis is a clear indicator that we need to pivot our approach moving towards routine opt-out testing in acute settings and ensuring access to PrEP. Our healthcare pathways must be inclusive and designed to reach the communities most affected, including previously underserved communities.”
Peter Wickersham, Vice President & General Manager for UK & Ireland at Gilead Sciences, which supported the conference, said: “The ambition to end new transmissions of HIV is one we all share. Achieving it will depend on continued collaboration across the entire health system, with government, clinicians, industry and community organisations working together to turn ambition into measurable action.”
The findings of the report were presented today to TDs and Senators in Leinster House in a briefing sponsored by Labour Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD.
The full report, Towards a National Action Plan for HIV in Ireland.
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