HIV Ireland has announced the findings of a nationwide survey into the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and government restrictions had on the sexual health and well-being of gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (GBMSM).
The EMERGE survey, which was conducted by HIV Ireland’s MPOWER programme and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, was carried out in June 2021 and received almost 1,000 responses from all across Ireland.
The report revealed that almost half of respondents had difficulty accessing sexual health services during the pandemic with a fifth unable to access them at all. A further staggering 51% of respondents reported having had difficulty in accessing PrEP, a vital and highly effective HIV prevention medication.
Later today we're launching a new report about the impact the #COVID19 pandemic has had on the #sexualhealth and wellbeing of #gay and #bisexual men.
Register to attend in person: https://t.co/u5LgFEXUyW
Or join us online on the @GCNmag Facebook or YouTube channels. pic.twitter.com/oQDyUXLyQs
— HIV Ireland (@HIVIreland) March 9, 2022
The report was launched during a live event hosted by GCN, HIV Ireland and MPOWER at Lost Lane, Dublin. Moderated by journalist, Brian O’Flynn, the event featured panellists Prof Fiona Lyons (Clinical Lead of HSE Sexual Health), Dr John Gilmore (UCD Assistant Prof in Nursing and LGBT+ Health Activist and Academic) and Erik Agudelo (community representative).
Speaking ahead of the launch, MPOWER Programme Manager at HIV Ireland and co-author of the report, Adam Shanley said “The findings of the EMERGE survey show that the widespread disruption to sexual health services throughout the country has resulted in significant barriers to accessing testing, treatment and prevention services – the likely impact is a rise in undiagnosed and untreated STIs in the community of gay and bisexual men, as well as missed prevention opportunities.”
He continued, “As we move into a new phase of living with COVID-19, services must be appropriately resourced so that they can reopen fully with enough capacity to respond to a surge in sexual health needs.”
@Adlers1 discussing compassionate and community-led responses to those who struggle with their drug use in our communities 💚https://t.co/7nu7sXzPbt
— Dr John Gilmore (@GilmoreJNurse) March 1, 2022
In highlighting the importance of the survey, Executive Director of HIV Ireland, Stephen O’Hare said, “The findings from this report confirm what many in community service provision have suspected – disruption to HIV and STI prevention services during the pandemic was profound and long lasting. New strategies and new approaches to our national pandemic response will be required to ensure that, going forward, difficulties encountered in accessing these services are addressed and service levels are further enhanced to meet demand”.
© 2022 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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