Campaigners today called for more determined action so that the world meet commitments to halt the spread of HIV in the next few years.
As Ireland prepared to join 189 countries at the United Nations global review of HIV and Aids in New York, the Government said it was renewing its pledge to combat stigma and discrimination linked to the diseases.
But James O’Connor, the HIV Positive representative on the Irish Government delegation, said more effort was needed.
“We need accelerated action by the world’s governments if we are to achieve the internationally agreed UN Millennium Development Goal 6 of halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV by 2015,” he said.
According to the UN there are 33.3 million people living with HIV and Aids with an estimated 2.3 million people being infected in 2007 and an estimated 2.1 million deaths.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre said in June 2006, 4,623 people live with HIV in Ireland.
Mr O’Connor said these people were also living with the prospect of stigma and discrimination. “HIV Positive people in Ireland today are the third most likely group of people to experience societal discrimination,” he said.
“Many of us living with HIV are fearful of disclosing that we are HIV positive due to the lack of awareness of how HIV is, and most importantly, how HIV is not transmitted.”
Mr O’Connor was invited by the Government as representative of the Irish HIV Positive Community to join in the UN delegation for the next two days.
PA