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.