Surge in new HIV cases linked to ‘snow blow’ drug use

A surge in the number of new cases of HIV among intravenous drug users in Dublin this year has been linked to the growing use of a new drug known as “snow blow”.

The HSE has expressed concern about the scale of the increase in the capital, particularly among the city’s homeless population.

Last month, Europe’s leading drugs agency warned about the growing danger of snow blow — a relatively new psychoactive substance — which has already been linked to at least four deaths in Ireland.