THE FEAR and myths surrounding a HIV positive diagnosis are still so prevalent that some people don’t want to be seen taking medication for it, while people living in communal settings often don’t get the medical treatment they need.
That’s according to GOSHH (Gender, Orientation, Sexual Health, HIV), a Limerick organisation providing testing and support in the Mid West.
The HSE has launched a national campaign, ‘You, Me, HIV’, to help debunk myths and tackle stigmatisation around people living with HIV.
Ayushi Patel, testing and personal support worker with GOSHH, told the Limerick Post that the misinformation around HIV is rampant.
“We get people contacting us to say they’ve found out someone in their apartment block is HIV positive and they want to know if they have caught it from touching a communal hand-rail,” Ayushi said.
“One person contacted us to say that their neighbour is HIV positive and the neighbour’s cat had been in their house – could the cat have infected their whole family?”
The HSE campaign highlights the fact that in a recent survey, 7 in 10 people did not know that when a person living with HIV is on effective treatment, they cannot pass it on to sexual partners.
Martina McKnight, testing co-ordinator and support worker with GOSHH, said that often the most vulnerable people are the ones who are too frightened to reveal their positive status.
“In particular, where you have people living in communal situations or homeless accommodation, they don’t want people to see they have medication for HIV.
“A lot of people are not getting the vital treatment they need for fear of being stigmatised,” Martina explained.
The treatment regime for HIV is free and involves taking just one pill a day.
Treatment is so effective that the virus becomes undetectable and cannot be passed on to a sexual partner, or even a child in the womb should the positive person become pregnant.
GOSHH operates outreach information and testing clinics in Limerick. In the last three months of 2024, GOSHH teams carried out 570 tests for HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis C. Just two people tested positive for HIV.
GOSHH can provide testing on site, which takes a few minutes for a result and will arrange for medical appointments for treatment if the test is positive, as well as supporting the person around issues such as rights and living with the virus.
The HSE, in partnership with people living with HIV, launched the ‘You, Me, and HIV’ campaign to address misconceptions around HIV and help reduce the stigma experienced by people living with HIV in Ireland.
Research has found that late diagnosis is often related to fear of diagnosis and stigma, highlighting the need to raise awareness around HIV and testing.
The latest figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show a decrease in the rate of first-time HIV diagnoses in Ireland in 2023. However, nearly two in five people (39 per cent) were diagnosed late.
GOSHH provides confidential, fast testing, and support for people with sexually transmitted diseases on a walk-in basis at its base on Davis Street in the city or by appointment on 061 314 354.
For more resources on HIV see hse.ie/HIV.
