B.C.’s HIV rate hits record low thanks to provincial programs: health ministry

B.C.’s health ministry used Sunday’s World AIDS Day to announce the number of new annual HIV cases has fallen to a record low in the province.

Health Minister Adrian Dix made the announcement at the opening of a new research laboratory in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside dedicated to combating and eventually eliminating the deadly virus, which will be managed by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BCCfE).

“We are now at a moment in B.C. history where we can say the HIV/AIDS crisis has transitioned from an epidemic to chronic disease management,” Dix said.

According to the province, 2018 saw just 208 new diagnoses of HIV, the latest in a steady decline from 437 cases in 2004.

At the height of the AIDS crisis in the late 1980s and early ’90s, close to 850 cases were being reported annually, Dix said.

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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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