Rapid testing service to fight HIV spread

Health Minister Leo Varadkar, said rapid HIV testing would be offered in colleges, workplaces and in public places.

Funding of €150,000 has been provided to launch Dublin’s first free rapid HIV testing service and to support similar services in Cork and Limerick. People attending pubs will be offered a 30-second HIV test on a night out under the plan to curb the surge of the disease.

New HIV diagnoses have been increasing in Ireland — provisional figures show there were 388 new diagnoses this year — a rise of 65 over the previous year.