Although Northern Health’s overall trend in newly identified HIV diagnoses has been declining since it peaked in 2004, there are still about 10 newly identified cases every year in the region.
Between 2010 and 2014, there were 76 new cases of HIV infections in the Northern Health region. Since 2014, there have been 33 new HIV infections identified to date.
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The HIV/AIDS epidemic has evolved differently in northern B.C. than it has in the rest of the province, according to the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. While men who have sex with men are the main source of new HIV infections in B.C., the primary route of transmission in northern B.C. is injection drug use.
Heterosexual transmission, on the other hand, accounted for 39 per cent of infections in northern B.C. compared to 25 per cent provincially in 2015.
Types of testing available in the Burns Lake area
Fears of provider’s judgment and breeches in confidentiality are obstacles to obtaining HIV care for many people.