Last year a group of doctors declared Saskatchewan’s HIV rates a medical state of emergency. One year later, numbers are still soaring in some of the province's smaller centres.
A preliminary report from the province says rates in the Prince Albert region are up 73 per cent from the 10-year average.
There were 56 new HIV cases reported in 2016. The annual average is 32 cases.
However, both Saskatoon and Regina Qu'Appelle health regions saw a drop.
Saskatoon reported 45 news cases, while Regina Qu'Appelle had 23.
A total of 170 new cases of HIV were reported in the province last year. That's the highest number reported since 2012.
