It’s time to test everyone in Canada for HIV/AIDS, says Dr. Julio Montaner

Thousands of people are unaware they have the disease and may be spreading it unknowingly

The best way to eliminate HIV and AIDS in Canada is to test everyone for the virus, regardless of whether they are at risk or not, according to one of the world’s leading experts on the disease.

Dr. Julio Montaner, the director of British Columbia’s Centre for Excellence in HIV and AIDS, says that in B.C. alone, 2,000 of the 15,000 people with HIV/AIDS don’t even know they’re infected and so are more likely to spread the virus.

“What we have come to recognize is that there are pockets of people who are HIV infected who are not aware … not only that they’re not infected, but not aware of their risk of HIV infection.”

It’s estimated one in six people have an advanced form of HIV by the time they’re diagnosed, and that more than half of new infections are transmitted by people who don’t know they have HIV.

“The only way that we can get at them is if we ask all of the people in B.C. to confirm the fact that they’re not infected,” Montaner said.

“Finding them is critical,” said the doctor, who wants universal testing across Canada.

“In finding them, we will stop the epidemic … By bringing them out, we’re able to help them help themselves accessing treatment that is life-saving, but in addition, that stops HIV transmission.”

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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