New HIV infections at highest in five years

New HIV cases have reached their highest point in five years.

Figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show that last year 377 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in Ireland - an increase of 11% on 2013.

This was largely down to a rise in the number of infections among gay men and injecting drug users.

According to the Irish Examiner's Cormac O'Keefe, so far this year there have been a further 168 cases of new HIV diagnoses.

Last year's cases include 183 new cases among men who have sex with men, 125 new cases among heterosexuals - the lowest on record - and 27 cases among injecting drug users.

Advocacy group HIV Ireland said the rise in new infections was a “great cause of concern” and said public debate on HIV and Aids was “being deafened by silence”.