AIDS SCREENING?? why not??

zing zong

According to the irishtimes online

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0615/breaking59.htm

Investment in HIV and sexual health prevention strategies needs to be a priority for Government, a HIV and sexual health awareness group said today.
The Dublin Aids Alliance warned that funding cuts are putting strain on HIV and Aids services, and further reductions in funding could have "serious implications" for public health in the future.

The group called on the Government to implement a report published last year, called ‘HIV and AIDS Education and Prevention Plan 2008 -2012’.

The group pointed to trends in the last number of years which showed a rise in HIV and sexually transmitted infections in Ireland.

New figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) showed a 3.6 per cent rise in the number of new HIV cases diagnosed in 2008. A total of 405 new HIV diagnoses were reported in 2008. bringing the total number of cases in this country to 5,243 as of December 2008.

The figures indicated that more new cases were being identified in the hetrosexual population, which accounted for 56 per cent of the new infections last year. Some 30 per cent were among men who have sex with men, while only 11 per cent were diagnosed in injecting drug users.

you know what would ACTUALLY help? it has been raised before and each time swept under the carpet, but here goes anyway....

Screening!!

Why is it that we don't screen people that have immigrated or sought asylum here from countries that are KNOWN to be consumed by HIV/AIDS???

does anybody have insight as to why we dont do this?

can anyone point out a fair and logical reason for why we don't ???

sceptre

zing zong wrote: »

Why is it that we don't screen people that have immigrated or sought asylum here from countries that are KNOWN to be consumed by HIV/AIDS???

does anybody have insight as to why we dont do this?

can anyone point out a fair and logical reason for why we don't ???

I suspect strongly that they don't do it because it costs a lot of money to do it and the vast majority of new cases emerge from those who are already here and have been here since they were born.

You'll notice that the newspaper article you quoted makes no reference whatever to AIDS streaming here via immigrants. Or mentions immigrants at all in fact.

The annual increase in diagnoses is accounted for almost completely by people not using condoms or using them incorrectly. That's why the largest increase in HIV infections has been in the heterosexual population for the past decade or more. As long as people persist in this behaviour you can be sure that this figure will continue to increase. You can block all the newcomers you like from disembarking from the airports and ferries but it doesn't change that the increase in HIV infections comes almost entirely from Irish people having sex with each other.

2Scoops

For the curious, here are the most recent statistics on HIV/AIDS in Ireland:
http://www.ndsc.ie/hpsc/A-Z/HepatitisHIVAIDSandSTIs/HIVandAIDS/SurveillanceReports/File,3276,en.pdf

gurramok

sceptre wrote: »

I suspect strongly that they don't do it because it costs a lot of money to do it and the vast majority of new cases emerge from those who are already here and have been here since they were born.

You'll notice that the newspaper article you quoted makes no reference whatever to AIDS streaming here via immigrants. Or mentions immigrants at all in fact.

The annual increase in diagnoses is accounted for almost completely by people not using condoms or using them incorrectly. That's why the largest increase in HIV infections has been in the heterosexual population for the past decade or more. As long as people persist in this behaviour you can be sure that this figure will continue to increase. You can block all the newcomers you like from disembarking from the airports and ferries but it doesn't change that the increase in HIV infections comes almost entirely from Irish people having sex with each other.

See 2Scoops link.

Of the 312 reported in 2008, 123 were born in Ireland(assuming all Irish national), rest were born abroad.

Thats 61% from immigration so yes a screening on entry for new nationals should be set up to protect people already resident here.

zing zong

sceptre wrote: »

I suspect strongly that they don't do it because it costs a lot of money to do it and the vast majority of new cases emerge from those who are already here and have been here since they were born.

You'll notice that the newspaper article you quoted makes no reference whatever to AIDS streaming here via immigrants. Or mentions immigrants at all in fact.

The annual increase in diagnoses is accounted for almost completely by people not using condoms or using them incorrectly. That's why the largest increase in HIV infections has been in the heterosexual population for the past decade or more. As long as people persist in this behaviour you can be sure that this figure will continue to increase. You can block all the newcomers you like from disembarking from the airports and ferries but it doesn't change that the increase in HIV infections comes almost entirely from Irish people having sex with each other.

I never said my question/statement was based on the article, i mention it because of the shocking % of increased infection

and yes, alot of the newly infected are BOTH from irish born, and non nationals, here it is as i see it

a lot of drug addicts know the danger however their addiction will sadly compel them to throw caution to the wind

alot of homosexuals are aware, and am sure they try as much as possible to the keep the risk as low as they can


heterosexuals however, have had for a long time had a relatively tiny % of infections until recent years. as a result a lot of people would perhaps willingly throw caution to the wind, in a sence that pregnancy would by covered by the pill, and stds can be treated (more or less). This is not right,i agree, however it would be the case in my experience

now when swine flu came to light, we kept tabs on people who had traveled from or had contact with those came from mexico, and advised them all to seek medical advice, to lessen the threat

we accept immigrants from alot of countries that are KNOWN to be consumed by HIV/AIDS, the risk is huge. and yes the cost may be large to do the screening but in the end, it saves lives, as the person themselves may not even be aware of the infection they have, and caring for people with HIV is in itself very expensive,

so why not do the very least and have screening to lessen the damage,and in the long run the cost? there is NO logical or fair reason why we dont do this

and as 2scoops and gurramok point out:
Of the 312 reported in 2008, 123 were born in Ireland(assuming all Irish national), rest were born abroad.

Thats 61% from immigration so yes a screening on entry for new nationals should be set up to protect people already resident here.

Mena

Are you going to screen foreigners coming in on holiday as well, or will it be limited to those who want to live and work here?

This being said, as an immigrant, I'd not have any trouble acquiescing to a request for screening. Coming from where I do, I've had well over 30 AIDS tests already. Hell, you need one bi-annually just for insurance purposes alone.

partyguinness

Of course a lot of people have no idea they have HIV