B.C. doctor says 'inexcusable' to see rising rates of HIV infections in Canada

published on August 2, 2024 by Mike Howell, in Vancouver is Awesome

The executive director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS is calling on governments across the country and abroad to implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce deaths and infections after new research identified solutions towards the goal of an HIV-free generation.

Dr. Julio Montaner’s call comes after research published in the Lancet HIV journal shows that providing antiretroviral treatment to all people living with HIV — and preventive treatment to individuals at high-risk of contracting HIV — reduces deaths and new infections by more than 90 per cent.

The two-pronged made-in-B.C. approach combines what Montaner refers to as treatment as a prevention strategy, or TasP, coupled with pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

“Our results confirm that adding targeted PrEP to TasP is a critical component of an effective HIV prevention strategy,” Montaner said in a news release.

“With that in mind, it is inexcusable that we are still seeing rising rates of new HIV infections in Canada. We therefore call on jurisdictions across the country and abroad to implement TasP plus targeted PrEP to optimize and accelerate the control of HIV/AIDS, and thereby reach the goal of an HIV-free generation.”

The BC Centre study looked at the impact of three milestones in the fight against HIV: the introduction of highly effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 1996, TasP in 2010 and PrEP in 2018.

ART suppresses the amount of HIV in biological fluids, such as semen or blood, to undetectable levels. As a result, people living with HIV are no longer infectious and can enjoy a near normal lifespan, free of AIDS.

TasP expands access to free ART to all people immediately after an HIV diagnosis. PrEP refers to the use of two antiretroviral drugs taken daily to prevent HIV infections among individuals at high risk of contracting HIV.

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B.C. doctor says 'inexcusable' to see rising rates of HIV infections in Canada

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