Ottawa shunning B.C. lead on AIDS

published on July 19, 2015 by Katherine Dedyna, in Times Colonist

B.C.’s successful policies for fighting HIV/AIDs are increasingly being adopted by other countries, but not by the Canadian government, says the director for the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Julio Montaner credits “unwavering support” by the B.C. Ministry of Health in seeing the provincial infection rate drop far below the national average. But he said that even as a special AIDS adviser to the United Nations, he can’t get Ottawa to adopt the strategies that made it happen.

A federal spokesman responded that the government supports the principles of B.C.’s plan, but that health care is primarily a provincial responsibility.

The UNAIDS 90-90-90 treatment targets — referring to the percentage of HIV cases diagnosed, treated and achieving no virus in the bloodstream — are aimed at rendering HIV/AIDS “a sporadic disease by 2030,” according to the centre.

They are based on B.C.’s Treatment as Prevention policy, which seeks to ensure 90 per cent of HIV cases are diagnosed by 2020; 90 per cent of patients have access to free, high-quality treatment; and at least 90 per cent of patients are virally suppressed by 2020.

Panama adopted 90-90-90 on June 29. China, France, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Swaziland and U.S. have already adopted Treatment as Prevention, the centre notes, and San Francisco, New York City and Washington, D.C., have also signed on.

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Julio Montaner

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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Ottawa shunning B.C. lead on AIDS

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