An AIDS-free generation within reach

Do we have the vision to deliver on our pledges?

Over the last decade, compelling evidence has accumulated to show that an AIDS-free generation is within reach. Regrettably, we have failed to exert the necessary political leadership to implement the strategy. However, there are signs that the tide may be turning.

With support from the B.C. government, the US National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), B.C. has shown that effective treatment of a person living with HIV puts the disease into virtual long-term remission and dramatically reduces HIV transmission. Implementation of the made-in-B.C. Treatment as Prevention strategy in our province has dramatically reduced new AIDS diagnoses, AIDS deaths, and new HIV diagnoses. In fact, B.C. is the only province in Canada seeing a consistent, steady decline in new HIV diagnoses.

A total of 301 new HIV diagnoses were made in 2010, a nearly 65% reduction from the 850 cases diagnosed per year prior to 1996. During this time, the Treatment as Prevention strategy developed by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) has averted approximately $275 million in costs to the health care system in British Columbia. In addition to the impact on the individual, their friends and their families, each new HIV case has a lifelong therapeutic cost (medication only) of about $500,000.

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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (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 has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below