TORONTO — Twenty-two years ago, when Scott Gary Major was first diagnosed with HIV, public opinion surrounding the disease in Canada was distorted with homophobia, misinformation and fear.
Things have improved since then. Less people are “afraid of me,” he told CTV News.
HIV-AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence, and Major says that makes a difference in how he is viewed, “because it’s … comparable to having other easily treatable diseases.”
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In British Columbia, the Health Ministry said in a news release Sunday that there were 208 new cases of the virus in 2018, continuing a steady decline from 437 cases in 2004 — a trend that the Ministry attributed to work by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS, as well as other local health advocates.
“Breakthroughs in treatment and prevention, along with education, awareness, community work and fighting stigma, have contributed to huge advancements toward the elimination of this epidemic,” said Premier John Horgan in a statement.
Meanwhile the AIDS Committee of Ottawa says that easier access to testing and education is still needed, despite the decline in the disease.