Skatchewan still has the highest rate of HIV in Canada, but an action plan being suggested by the Saskatchewan HIV/AIDS Research Endeavor (SHARE) aims to change that.
“How do we achieve better response to the HIV epidemic in Saskatchewan than we’ve seen so far?” SHARE co-lead and physician Ryan Meili said.
They have an idea, and released a 10-point strategy that includes having a plan with clear leadership, fully funding HIV medications and ensuring testing can reach all areas of the province no matter how remote.
The suggested steps come from a series of meetings held earlier this year that combined experts from across the country, including HIV leader Julio Montaner from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. The goal is to reach 90-90-90, a plan set out by the World Health Organization, that aims to have 90 per cent of people who have HIV diagnosed, 90 per cent of those people on treatment, and 90 per cent of those people with such a low amount of virus that it cannot be transmitted.