St James's Hospital in Dublin today begins routine testing for HIV and hepatitis B and C for all emergency department patients.
The hospital treats more than 45,000 patients in its emergency department every year and the move follows a pilot project last year, which highlighted the prevalence of the three blood-borne viruses among people attending the ED.
In a statement, the hospital said the testing is in line with international best practice to diagnose new cases and "link disengaged patients back to care".
According to St James's, recent studies show that at least two people per 1,000 in the Dublin area have been diagnosed with HIV.
It says the reported prevalence of hepatitis C in Ireland is between 0.5 and 1.2%, while the numbers of those with hepatitis B is unknown.
Source: RTÉ News, 28/07/15
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