evidence: There was a 12% annual rise in HIV cases in Northern Ireland last year, official figures have revealed. [...] "Of the 76 new cases of HIV which were diagnosed, 31 (41%) occurred through gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Twenty-one (28%) new HIV diagnoses occurred through heterosexual transmission and 14 (18%) new HIV diagnoses occurred through injecting drug use," she said. [...] People with HIV have a near-normal life expectancy if diagnosed early and treated promptly. Of those on treatment in Northern Ireland, 97% had an undetectable viral load, and at this level a person living with HIV has effectively zero risk of sexually transmitting the virus.