Why has HIV in Saskatchewan become more harmful for some people?

published on August 14, 2018 in CATIE

Reports have suggested that HIV may be progressing more rapidly in Saskatchewan.
Researchers analyzed the genetic sequences of HIV among people in the province.
They discovered strains of HIV that have adapted to some people’s immune defences.

The immune system consists of a network of cells, tissues and organs, all organized to help defend the body from harmful germs and tumours. However, for the vast majority of people who become infected with HIV, this virus is quickly able to subvert the immune system’s defenses. Furthermore, HIV changes, or mutates, relatively quickly. This high rate of change makes it more difficult for the immune system to mount a successful response against HIV. As a result, if HIV infection is left undiagnosed and untreated, the immune system becomes relentlessly weakened and about 10 to 12 years after initial infection life-threatening infections and cancers occur—the hallmark of AIDS—in adults. The period between initial infection and the development of AIDS in untreated HIV infection can vary somewhat depending on a person’s genes, the strength (or virulence) of HIV and the presence of co-infections such as hepatitis C virus, among other factors.

HIV in Saskatchewan

In the province of Saskatchewan, a concentrated HIV epidemic has emerged. The average rate of new infections in Saskatchewan is about twice as high as in the rest of Canada and among the highest in North America. According to researchers, about 60% of new HIV infections in Saskatchewan are spread by sharing equipment for injecting street drugs. About 80% of people living with HIV in this province self-identify as Indigenous.

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Zabrina Brumme

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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Why has HIV in Saskatchewan become more harmful for some people?

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