TREMENDOUS PROGRESS MADE IN HIV, BUT SERIOUS DISPARITIES REMAIN

This week, I’m in Boston for the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). It’s one of the premier scientific meetings where we hear the latest research in HIV prevention and treatment. Last year, for example, researchers presented undeniable evidence that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective in preventing HIV infection in real-world settings. These findings were a game changer and led to our decision to cite PrEP as one of the four pillars of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 [PDF 2,230 KB]. Just yesterday, researchers highlighted data on the use of a vaginal ring containing PrEP medication, noting that it shows promise for overcoming difficulties with adherence to PrEP.

Today at CROI, our colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data on viral suppression and new estimates for lifetime risk of HIV diagnosis. The data on viral suppression illustrate solid progress we’ve made over the past years, noting that from 2009 to 2013, the proportion of people receiving HIV care who were virally suppressed increased from 72% to 80%.

For the first time, estimates of lifetime risk of HIV diagnosis were shown by state and risk group. There is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the analysis found that lifetime risk of HIV diagnosis in the U.S. is now 1 in 99, an improvement from a previous analysis that reported overall risk at 1 in 78.

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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