Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I want to ask about the progression of the legislative and other measures in the national sexual health strategy which was introduced by the Minister, Deputy Varadkar. Tomorrow is world AIDS day. We are now in the middle of a HIV crisis in this country, and the HIV rate is higher than at any time in the 1980s or 1990s.

Among men who have sex with men, the rate is 10.6 per 100,000 whereas the EU average is only 6.3 per 100,000. Does the Government want to advance the recommendations from the community and other groups that pre-exposure prophylaxis be made available generally to halt the rate of increase in infection? This has been done in other jurisdictions. Will the Government be able to fund the Know Now rapid HIV testing system which the gay community wants to use to help address this crisis? Why is there a delay in implementing the health strategy in the face of the HIV crisis?

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