On the occasion of World AIDS Day, British Columbia has reached new milestones in preventing HIV infections and improving the quality of life for people living with HIV.
B.C. has surpassed a UNAIDS target and has seen a greater than 90% decrease in people living with and dying from AIDS. New HIV diagnoses have reached the lowest level, down by approximately 80% from the peak in 1987, when over 900 cases yearly were diagnosed in B.C.
In addition, a new walk-in clinic on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is now open to support people living with HIV, opioid addictions, mental health and other health issues, including hepatitis C. The clinic is named Hope to Health Research and Innovation.
“As we commemorate World AIDS Day, I want to remember all those we have lost to the AIDS epidemic and celebrate the progress we have made against this formidable disease,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “We can be proud of what the province, with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, has achieved. The world looks to us as a leader, and we constantly strive to provide the best care possible. Landmarks like this don’t come around often in the world, and it’s evidence of the best and brightest minds coming together to solve the challenge of HIV transmission.”