HIV rates still rising in Canada, but treatment is simpler, safer and effective

For those newly infected and diagnosed with HIV in Canada, if they seek treatment right away, the long-term outlook is quite different than it used to be.

“The news is very good compared to 20 years ago…a young person diagnosed with HIV today, a young adult, who begins therapy shortly thereafter and takes therapy every day, exactly as directed, is expected to live into their 70s, or even 80s. It’s a really good forecast, people can go back to work, people can lead a healthy life,” Sean Hosein, science and medicine editor at CATIE told Global News.

The old treatment regimens included taking handfuls of pills multiple times a day and came with side effects, now treatment can just be one pill, taken once a day.

“They were awful the old regimens” said Hosein. “Treatment is a lot simpler, it’s a lot safer and it’s better tolerated.”

Treatment and outlooks can be different for those who have HIV for years and delay treatment.

Life expectancy varies in Canada

A study released in August found that Canadians diagnosed with HIV are living longer than ever, inequalities in life expectancy persist across the country.

The study, from the Canadian Observational Cohort Collaboration, indicated the overall life expectancy of Canadians undergoing antiretroviral treatment for the AIDS-causing virus had climbed to 65 years – about a 16-year jump since 2000.

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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