By the end of 2004, Ireland had reported a cumulative total of 3,764 HIV cases; these reports included 813 people who had developed AIDS, of whom 378 had died. Among all the HIV cases reported with a known mode of transmission, approximately 37 per cent had been infected through heterosexual contact, 33 per cent through intravenous drug use and 23 per cent among men who

A resident of Africa holds a candle during a memorial service for people who have died from AIDS.

have sex with men. For the year 2004, the country reported 356 new HIV infections, 38 new AIDS cases and 4 AIDS deaths.

Since 1998, the epidemiology of HIV in Ireland has changed considerably, with significant increases in the number of infections acquired heterosexually. Of the 178 cases acquired through heterosexual contact for which data is available, the majority was born in sub-Saharan Africa (85 female and 37 male), with another large cohort born in Ireland (20 female and 15 male). The number of new diagnoses among IDUs (Intravenous Drug Users) increased from 49 in 2003 to 71 in 2004, highlighting the need for maintaining harm-reduction measures. In addition, 62 newly-diagnosed cases were reported among MSM (Men having sex with men) in 2004. This figure is of concern in the context of the continuing endemicity of syphilis in Ireland following the syphilis outbreak among MSM that began in Dublin in 2000. It is important to note that data were incomplete with respect to 49 (13.7 per cent) of the 356 newly-diagnosed HIV infections reported in 2004, making data analysis and trend interpretation difficult.