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.

Scroll to Top

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

Laboratory Order Forms

Start typing and press enter to search