HIV dropping among IV drug users due to harm reduction, says B.C.’s health officer

B.C.’s top doctor is pushing to keep harm reduction and anti-retroviral therapy as key health strategies after a new report showed rates of HIV infection among those who inject drugs continues to drop.

Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall released the report noting several reasons why intravenous drug users aren’t catching HIV or hepatitis C despite the risky practice.

One of the factors he cited is highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), which Kendall describes as “the current gold standard in HIV treatment.”

“HAART has the ability to change the way people live with HIV by improving their quality of life and reducing transmission rates,” he said.

Also helping is a pilot program called Seek and Treat to Optimally Prevent HIV/AIDS (STOP AIDS), to which the province has committed $48 million over four years. The year-old project led by Dr. Julio Montaner of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS aims to connect at-risk people in Prince George and Vancouver with testing and treatment services.

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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)

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