I Never Imagined An AIDS-Free Canada Could Be Within Reach, But It Is

With a new consensus that undetectable equals untransmittable, ending the AIDS epidemic in Canada is much more attainable than we previously thought.

Having turned 60 two months ago, I know there’s nothing quite like a milestone birthday to force you to get serious about your priorities and your future. The HIV response is facing our own wake-up call this Dec. 1 as we mark the 30th World AIDS Day – a milestone I never imagined we would reach when I started working in HIV 30 years ago.

I have spent more than half of my life working in the HIV response, and while our goals have remained unchanged – reducing HIV infections and keeping people healthy – they have sometimes felt lofty and long-term. Something to strive towards, but always just out of reach.

That is no longer the case. Hundreds of prominent HIV leaders and organizations have now endorsed a new consensus based on years of scientific research: a person living with HIV who takes treatment – to the point where the amount of the virus in their body is undetectable in blood tests – does not transmit the virus to their sexual partners. In short, undetectable equals untransmittable (U=U).

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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

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