Press Release: Grindr’s disclosure of user’s HIV status without permission was unacceptable

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PRESS RELEASE – Tuesday 3rd April 2018

Grindr’s disclosure of user’s HIV status without permission was unacceptable

As Grindr finally reversed its decision to share, without permission, its users’ HIV status with third parties, Niall Mulligan, Executive Director of HIV Ireland stated today that ‘While Grindr’s ultimate response to this unwarranted disclosure is welcome, the situation of disclosing a person’s HIV status without their permission should never have occurred in the first place. Disclosing one’s HIV status is a private decision. People who share their HIV status on Grindr are making a personal choice to share information with other Grindr users only. Grindr must now win back the trust of its users by ensuring this decision to cease disclosing their user’s HIV status to third parties holds fast.’

HIV Ireland is calling on all social media outlets to ensure their users are fully aware of the potential use of all data they are providing in order for them to make an informed choice as to what personal information to share or not. This is crucial given the stigma that attaches for people living with HIV in Ireland, and the potential risks to their employment and personal life that continue to be a serious problem in our society.

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For information about HIV, testing, safer sex and support please visit – www.hivireland.ie; www.man2man.ie; www.positivenow.ie

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For further information, please contact:

Niall Mulligan,

Executive Director

HIV Ireland

70 Eccles Street

Dublin 7

Mobile:  085 7457951

Tel: 01 8733799

Email: niall.mulligan@hivireland.ie

HIV Ireland welcomes High Court Decision on HIV Disclosure

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HIV Ireland welcomes High Court Decision on HIV Disclosure

High Court Refuses Permission to Child & Family Agency to Force Teenager to Disclose His HIV Status

Monday 12th March 2018

In an unprecedented situation for an Irish court, the High Court was recently tasked with deciding whether a Doctor can disclose the HIV status of a patient, without their consent, to another person who the doctor believes is having unprotected sex with the patient. The case, involving a teenager in care who has been living with HIV since birth, and another unnamed teenager, was brought by the Child & Family Agency.

The court concluded the extremely low possibility (0.04%) of HIV being transmitted in this case, and the fact that HIV is not a terminal illness, did not justify a breach of patient confidentiality, a cornerstone of the doctor/patient relationship.

Responding to the decision of the High Court, Mr. Niall Mulligan, Executive Director of HIV Ireland said, ‘We welcome this decision of the High Court not to force a teenager living with HIV to disclose his status against his will. HIV is a manageable, treatable illness. We know that people living with HIV, who are compliant with their treatment, and have an undetectable viral load cannot pass the virus on to someone else. The onus is on all of us to take responsibility for our own sexual health. We encourage everyone to use condoms, to avail of regular sexual health testing, and to be informed of the risks involved in having unprotected sex.’

Mr. Mulligan also pointed out the crucial importance in highlighting the need for policy makers, politicians, and the public to understand the impact HIV related stigma has on the lives of people living with HIV. Referencing HIV Irelands National HIV & Stigma Survey 2017, Mr. Mulligan stated:

‘When 17% of people living with HIV report having felt suicidal in 2017, it’s time to open our eyes to the damage that HIV related stigma is having on people’s lives. Among those living with HIV, the research found that a quarter are not comfortable with their own HIV positive status, over a half are single, and a third had experienced being rejected in a relationship due to their HIV status. Forcing someone to disclose they are living with HIV only perpetuates the stigma that currently exists in Ireland’.

For information about HIV, testing, safer sex and support please visit – www.hivireland.ie; www.man2man.ie; www.positivenow.ie

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For further information, please contact:
Niall Mulligan,
Executive Director
HIV Ireland
70 Eccles Street
Dublin 7
Mobile: 085 7457951
Tel: 01 8733799
Email: niall.mulligan@hivireland.ie
www.hivireland.ie
HIV Ireland Information

HIV Ireland is a registered charity operating at local, National and European level. The principal aim of the organisation is to improve, through a range of support services, conditions for people living with HIV and AIDS and/or Hepatitis, their families and their caregivers while further promoting sexual health in the general population.

Our mission and vision is to contribute towards a significant reduction in the incidence and prevalence of HIV in Ireland and towards the realisation of an AIDS-free generation by advocating for individuals living with HIV, preventing new HIV infections and combating HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

Since 1987 HIV Ireland has been pioneering services in sexual health education and promotion, and has consistently engaged in lobbying and campaigning in the promotion of human rights. Our approach broadly reflects a harm minimisation model which emphasises practical rather than idealised goals. In relation to practical service provision we currently operate under two headings:

a) Community Support

• Counselling
• 1-1 Support
• Advocacy
• Community Outreach Work
• HIV & STI Community Testing
• Capacity Building with People Living with HIV

b) Prevention, Education & Training

• One day workshops on HIV, STI’s and Sexual Health
• Sexual Health Training for Trainers Programme (Let’s Talk About….Safer Sex)
• Free Condom Service (Just Carry One Campaign)
• Social Media work and campaigning
• Network Involvement

HIV Ireland ‘welcomes’ availability of PrEP in Ireland

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Press Release, 1st December 2017

HIV Ireland ‘welcomes’ availability of PrEP in Ireland

‘PrEP is a crucial HIV prevention medication that can significantly reduce new HIV infections, but it needs to be available to everyone, not just those people who can afford it’

The announcement by TEVA Pharmaceutical Company that it will be introducing Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to Ireland from Monday 4th December has been welcomed by HIV Ireland. With Ireland facing the prospect that new HIV diagnoses will top 500 for the second year in a row, the introduction of PrEP could be a real gamechanger when it comes to the prevention of HIV transmission.

PrEP is a once daily medication that, in combination with safer-sex practices, has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection among uninfected adults at high risk, and has contributed to a 40% decrease in new HIV diagnoses in several clinics in London alone.

Niall Mulligan, Executive Director of HIV Ireland welcomed the news from TEVA as ‘a step in the right direction’ but warned that ‘even at a reduced cost of approximately €100 per month it remains out of reach for many people who would benefit from PrEP. We renew our call on the Government to make PrEP available to all people who need it, and not allow price to be a barrier’.

For information about HIV, testing, safer sex and support please visit – www.hivireland.ie; www.man2man.ie; www.positivenow.ie

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 For further information, please contact:

Niall Mulligan,

Executive Director

HIV Ireland

70 Eccles Street

Dublin 7

 

Mobile:  085 7457951

Tel: 01 8733799

Email: niall.mulligan@hivireland.ie

www.hivireland.ie

 

Press Release 30th November: 2017 New HIV Diagnoses Set to be Highest on Record

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Press Release 30th November 2017

2017 New HIV Diagnoses Set to be Highest on Record

‘With an average of 10 new HIV diagnoses per week for the second year in a row, Ireland is gripped within a HIV crisis that shows no sign of abating’ 

On World AIDS Day 2017, Ireland is facing the real prospect that new HIV diagnoses will top 500 for the second year in a row. To date, provisional figures for 2017 indicate there have been 450 new HIV diagnoses in Ireland, similar to this time last year, when a total of 508 people were newly diagnosed as living with HIV [www.hpsc.ie]. If this trend continues in 2017, Ireland is likely to experience one of the highest numbers of new HIV diagnoses on record.

On Friday, December 1st, President Michael D. Higgins will host a reception at Aras an Uachtaráin to mark World AIDS Day, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of HIV Ireland, and to pay tribute to all people and organisations working to prevent the spread of HIV, both home and abroad.

 

The global theme for World AIDS Day 2017 is ‘Right to Health – Making it Happen’. The right to health campaign promotes the right of everyone to free HIV testing, the right of people living with HIV to be free of the stigma that often accompanies a HIV diagnosis, an end to HIV transmission, and an end to the isolation that can be a result of living with HIV.

 

Speaking in advance of the event, Mr. Bernard Condon (SC), Chairperson of HIV Ireland said ‘The national and international response to the AIDS crisis is built on the fundamental right to health and well-being of all people. World AIDS Day acts as an important reminder of the human rights of all people living with HIV, and the challenges they often face in fulfilling these rights. It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure these rights are never forgotten’.

 

To mark World AIDS Day 2017, and HIV Irelands 30th Anniversary, Niall Mulligan, the Executive Director of HIV Ireland said “Thirty years on from the early days of our organisation, the landscape has changed dramatically, with people diagnosed with HIV now living longer and healthier lives. It is now scientifically accepted that people living with HIV who are compliant with treatment, and have an undetectable viral load, will not pass on HIV to sexual partners. However, as we witness a consistent rise in the number of people being newly diagnosed in Ireland with HIV, it is clear we need to be significantly more proactive in our response to this growing crisis. HIV Ireland calls on the Government to prioritise community based HIV testing, the availability of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) within Ireland as a proven method of preventing HIV transmission, and a greater emphasis on counselling and support for people living with HIV.”.    

 

For information about HIV, testing, safer sex and support please visit – www.hivireland.ie; www.man2man.ie; www.positivenow.ie

 

End

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Niall Mulligan,

Executive Director

HIV Ireland

70 Eccles Street

Dublin 7

 

Mobile:  085 7457951

Tel: 01 8733799

Email: niall.mulligan@hivireland.ie

www.hivireland.ie

 

HIV Ireland Information

 

HIV Ireland is a registered charity operating at local, National and European level. The principal aim of the organisation is to improve, through a range of support services, conditions for people living with HIV and AIDS and/or Hepatitis, their families and their caregivers while further promoting sexual health in the general population.

 

Our mission and vision is to contribute towards a significant reduction in the incidence and prevalence of HIV in Ireland and towards the realisation of an AIDS-free generation by advocating for individuals living with HIV, preventing new HIV infections and combating HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

 

Since 1987 HIV Ireland has been pioneering services in sexual health education and promotion, and has consistently engaged in lobbying and campaigning in the promotion of human rights. Our approach broadly reflects a harm minimisation model which emphasises practical rather than idealised goals. In relation to practical service provision we currently operate under two headings:

 

  1. Community Support

 

  • Counselling
  • 1-1 Support
  • Advocacy
  • Community Outreach Work
  • HIV & STI Community Testing
  • Capacity Building with People Living with HIV

 

  1. Prevention, Education & Training

 

  • One-day workshops on HIV, STI’s and Sexual Health
  • Sexual Health Training for Trainers Programme (Let’s Talk About….Safer Sex)
  • Free Condom Service (Just Carry One Campaign)
  • Social Media work and campaigning
  • Network Involvement