Gardaí have confirmed they have commenced investigations into an alleged assault which they believe may have been caused by a drug administered by a needle prick.
According to a report by the Irish Examiner, Gardaí have now confirmed one investigation into an alleged assault, where a female became disorientated possibly caused by a drug administered by a needle prick.
Gardaí are trying to determine the exact circumstances of the incident.
It comes amid growing reports of ‘spiking’ via injections across parts of the UK and Ireland.
There have been 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking in September and October across various parts of the UK, plus 24 reports of some form of injection.
A small number of incidents specifically of a ‘date rape drug’ nature have been recorded to date in 2021, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána confirmed.
“Separately, the presence of a ‘date rape drug’ could form part of the narrative of a substantive incident, such as Assault, and be an aggravating factor,” they said.
Victims of similar incidents or any form of ‘drug spiking’ have been advised to come forward and report such incidents to local Gardaí.
Details of how to report can be found on garda.ie.
Advice on Drink Spiking and related public health issues can be found on hse.ie.
Students Unions at different campuses are urging students to be vigilant following the growing reports of drink spiking and spiking via injection in bars and nightclubs.
What to do if you suspect you have been spiked?
- Immediately talk to someone you trust as the spike can cause serious health issues like vomiting, drowsiness, head spin, head ache etc.
- Get help from medical professional.
- Contact bar/store manager and talk about the issue.
- Contact Gardai.
- You can make sure if you have been spiked from blood and urine tests.
- If you suspect the spike happened through drink, keep the drink as an evidence material.
Even if you test positive for HIV after a similar incident, there are treatments available to stop the virus from affecting your body. The health care provider will give you an HIV test and decide whether you should take an emergency medicine called PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis.
In people who are HIV-negative, PEP prevents the virus from causing infection and spreading. But you must start PEP within 72 hours (3 days) of when you’re exposed to the virus for it to work. And you’ll need to keep taking the medicine for 28 days.
PEP works very well at preventing HIV infection, but it’s not 100% effective.