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Manitoba has second-highest HIV diagnosis rate in Canada, driven by injection drug use: report

Manitoba has second-highest HIV diagnosis rate in Canada, driven by injection drug use: report

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Manitoba has the second-highest HIV diagnosis rate in the country, a provincial and federal report finds.

There were 280 new cases of HIV diagnosed in Manitoba in 2023, according to Manitoba's 2023 HIV Surveillance Report released Friday. This is a 40% increase compared to 2022.

The Public Health Agency of Canada's 2023 report found Manitoba's HIV infection rate was 19.3 per 100,000 people, just behind the national leader in Saskatchewan at 19.4 per 100,000.

People who inject drugs with needles are the leading cause of HIV infections in Manitoba, a provincial report has found. This is different from the state's main cause of men having sex with men.

Helina Zegay, director of Sunshine House's sexual health support program, said it remains difficult for people to obtain clean harm reduction supplies when using drugs.

“For the community members we speak to, [about HIV]many of their experiences with the public healthcare system can be traumatic,” said Zegay, who uses they/them pronouns.

They added that many community members struggling with drug use choose to take their health care into their own hands due to stigma and lack of trust in health care providers.

Zegay said HIV testing needs to be made easier and there needs to be more different treatment options.

“Taking medication every day is not easy for everyone,” Zegay said.

The group's report says Indigenous women make up 85 per cent of all women referred to Manitoba's HIV program. 2024 Update Report.

Access to medicines

The state announced Monday that it will spend $8 million to raise awareness and improve access to care when receiving treatment for HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, according to a news release. did.

Some of the funding was used to remove barriers to accessing HIV drugs and make them free for people with state health insurance, according to a May news release. The state also committed to funding regional projects to improve HIV prevention.

Access to medicine is important, but many of the people who come to Sunshine House don't have health cards and are “in a pinch,” Zegay said.

Zegay hopes so. new health plastic card Fix that gap.

A man wearing glasses and a blue checked shirt is smiling at the camera.
Albert McLeod, a two-spirit elder from Winnipeg, is pictured in a 2019 file photo. For 20 years, he says, there has been little support for people living with HIV and AIDS. (Shane Gibson/CBC)

Albert McLeod, a two-spirit elder from Winnipeg, watched his friends and loved ones die of HIV and AIDS with little support throughout the 1980s. He said there had been little support for 20 years.

“Just fear has kept people from being empathetic and being there for them at such a critical time at the end of their lives,” McLeod said in an interview with CBC on Monday. information radio. “No one was there.”

McLeod added that it's important to know and recognize the history of HIV in Manitoba because it affects so many people across Manitoba.

“It's still taboo to talk about it,” McLeod said.

Information Radio – MB8:51Two Spiritual Voices: The HIV/AIDS Epidemic and the Birth of a Movement

When local two-spirit Elder Albert McLeod returned to Manitoba in the early 1980s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic felt far away. But as the years passed, more and more friends became ill, and the impact of the crisis began to reshape the community. Little did he know that this tragedy would inspire him and others to fight for their rights as queer Indigenous peoples and lay the foundations for the Two Spirit movement. On World AIDS Day, we remember how the HIV/AIDS epidemic has shaped our cities and continues to shape our lives. Albert Macleod joins us to reflect on these pivotal moments and their lasting legacy.

Interest rates have tripled since 2019

McLeod said the pandemic has caused the spread of HIV at an unprecedented pace as many medical resources have been shut down.

Manitoba's infection rate has tripled since 2019, according to a provincial report.

There will be 2,434 new HIV infections across Canada in 2023, a 35 per cent increase compared to 2022, according to a federal government report. The average number of cases nationally is 6.1 per 100,000 people, one-third lower than Manitoba's rate of 19.3 per 100,000.

McLeod said the $8 million investment in the province is not enough to meet the needs of people living with HIV.

“It's been delayed for far too long and there's a crisis in the state,” McLeod said.

in news release Last year on World AIDS Day, the province dedicated more than $527,000 to support the Manitoba HIV Program and more than $271,000 to mobile care services operated by Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centres.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwala said the government is investing resources to tackle the rise in HIV infections, but much more needs to be done. Mr. Asagwala pointed out that the reason why the number of people infected with HIV is increasing is due to inaction by the former Progressive Conservative government.

“We didn't get here overnight and we won't get out of this challenge overnight,” Asagwala said on Monday, adding that the government must take a compassionate approach to getting people the support they need. He added that he is taking it.

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2/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/hiv-manitoba-report-1.7399251

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