GPs ‘not passing on’ sufficient information on HIV/AIDS

A SENIOR public health specialist has expressed concern that family doctors are not passing on sufficient information to the health authorities about the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Ireland.

Dr Darina O’Flanagan, director of the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said the system of voluntary reporting by GPs should be made mandatory in order to improve data on transmission of the infection and related illnesses.

The HPSC has warned that the number of reported cases is likely to underestimate the prevalence of HIV/AIDS because of the voluntary nature of the reporting system.

New figures published by the HPSC yesterday show a 3.6% increase in the number of new HIV cases detected in the Republic last year. A total of 405 newly diagnosed patients with HIV were reported in 2008, including seven children. There were 28 new cases of AIDS.

However, the centre welcomed the sustained decline in the number of patients presenting with an AIDS-related illness.

“Individuals are accessing care and treatment early which in turn improves clinical outcomes and life expectancy,” said HPSC specialist, Dr Aidan O’Hara.

So far, 411 AIDS-related deaths have occurred among the 999 documented patients in Ireland who contracted the disease.

There were three deaths among AIDS cases reported last year.

According to the HPSC, the total number of HIV infections reported up to the end of 2008 is 5,243.

Almost 40% of new HIV cases diagnosed last year were heterosexuals, while almost 24% were gay men and around 9% intravenous drug users. Almost two out of three new patients last year were males.

However, the surveillance centre said it was difficult to make any analysis of trends as such information had to be interpreted with caution because no details were available on what type of risk group was involved in 87 cases.

Dr O’Hara said the ante-natal HIV screening programme introduced in Ireland 10 years ago continued to be a success.

Children diagnosed with HIV were all likely to have been infected through mother to child transmission. Five of the seven children identified with HIV last year were born in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr O’Hara said only two out of 106 babies born to HIV-infected mothers last year had contracted the infection.

Irish-born patients accounted for almost 40% of new HIV patients diagnosed during 2008 where the geographic origin was known, with another 40% from people born in sub-Saharan Africa.

Addressing the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of Ireland in Dublin, Dr O’Flanagan complained that the HPSC was not receiving enough information about the incidence of HIV.

She claimed no information was available in relation to 83 cases last year and in respect of 90 cases in 2007.

“It is impossible to make any real analysis of the trends if we don’t get the data,” said Dr O’Flanagan.

Meanwhile, the Dublin Aids Alliance expressed concern that Government health cutbacks could impact negatively on existing HIV prevention measures.