Canadian study examines why some women fall out of the HIV care cascade

  • A Canadian study monitored more than 1,400 women living with HIV.
  • Nearly 30% of women diagnosed with HIV did not achieve viral suppression.
  • Some groups of women had greater challenges with adherence and staying in care.

Studies of people who are starting HIV treatment (ART) have found that when ART is taken as directed for several months the amount of HIV in the blood usually falls to very low levels (commonly referred to as an undetectable viral load). Continued use of ART keeps HIV suppressed and studies have found that the health of the immune system gradually improves and the risk of AIDS-related infections and cancers is significantly reduced. The impact of ART is so profound that researchers increasingly expect that many ART users will have a near-normal life expectancy. Studies have also found that ART users who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load do not pass on HIV during sex.

These twin benefits of ART are so tremendous that the Joint United Nations Program on AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have encouraged countries, regions and cities to achieve the following goals by the year 2020:

  • 90% of people with HIV know their infection status
  • 90% of people diagnosed with HIV have received an offer of and are taking ART
  • 90% of ART users have an undetectable viral load

These goals are commonly called “90-90-90.”

The movement of people from HIV testing through taking ART and achieving an undetectable viral load has been given several names by different researchers: the cascade of care, the HIV cascade of care or, simply, the cascade. The term 90-90-90 shortens and idealizes what is, in reality, a complex flow of people in and sometimes out of the healthcare system.

Scroll to Top

Canada Post has provided notification of restarting their operations on December 17, 2024. As Canada Post ramps up and stabilizes their services, the BC-CfE will continue the following measures on an interim basis to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory will utilize private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy will utilize private courier for delivery of medications. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)