Sask. reports record number of new HIV cases
Saskatchewan healthcare officials announced that the province underwent a record breaking increase of new HIV cases, with 237 new diagnoses in 2021.
The increase, driven in part by intravenous drug use, marks a 30 per cent increase from the year previous.
Saskatchewan routinely exceeds the national average of HIV cases per capita, but 2021 marked an all time high with the provincial rate being approximately three times the national average.
Dr. Johnmark Opondo, a medical health officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, explained there are multiple new factors to the increase in infections.
“The key drivers of HIV transmission in our community, in Saskatchewan, which is in various proportions, are needle sharing (with) partners and sexual transmission,” he said.
“So that’s really the underlying foundation of why our numbers are up.”
According to Margaret Kisikaw Piyesis, the CEO of Communities Alliances and Networks, the pandemic denying essential services to those suffering with addictions, had a lot to do with the historic increase.
“We’ve seen some of the services which are most essential to people who are actively using close down,” she explained. “So needle exchange programs, there was limited access to care, treatment and support for people who are most at risk of HIV, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, some of the other diseases that were have in our communities around addictions.”
There are services to minimize the spread of HIV. The Newo Yotina Friendship Centre offers clean needles but only has enough funding to operate during the day.
“We’re trying our best to send out clean needles, clean pipes, clean things so that you know it’s not being transmitted in that direction but I feel like we can’t work at our maximum capacity with the hours that we have,” said Emile Gariepy, who works at the centre.
“If we could reach out with longer hours, then we could reach out to more people.”
Due to the pandemic putting stress on the healthcare system as well as other essential services, it is not surprising that the numbers have increased, according to Opondo.
“If you stop attending care, or you skip your medication, that becomes a little bit of a risk factor,” he said. “There’s enough of an underlying pressure of HIV and when the pandemic and other issues distracted our patients from attending care, you know that was enough for our HIV numbers to inch back upward again.”
Going forward, Opondo maintains that the best way to the control the numbers is getting those already living with HIV the treatment they need, being proactive and educating the public on the risks of the disease.
“When we had an HIV focused strategy from 2006 to 2011, we did show by bringing focus and bringing all the attention we could to addressing HIV, we were able to bring the numbers down,” he said.
“So I am hopeful we can address the situation.”
New HIV cases reported in Saskatchewan (Annual)
- 2009 - 199
- 2010 - 174
- 2011 - 188
- 2012 - 184
- 2013 - 129
- 2014 - 121
- 2015 - 163
- 2016 - 174
- 2017 - 177
- 2018 - 168
- 2019 - 199
- 2020 - 184
- 2021 - 237
(Sources: Canada Communicable Disease Report: 2009-2014 / Government of Canada / Saskatchewan Ministry of Health).
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.