Government of Canada is making HIV testing more accessible across Canada Français

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Public Health Agency of Canada

Aug 01, 2022, 17:00 ET

New investments in decentralized testing will support progress toward ending HIV as a public health concern by 2030.

MONTREAL, Aug. 1, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Public Health Agency of Canada

We know that there are nearly 63,000 people currently living with HIV in Canada; of which 1 out of 10 individuals remain undiagnosed. Despite ongoing efforts to encourage testing, there remain systemic barriers to accessing HIV testing, including stigma and discrimination experienced in health care settings. That is why our Government is making new investments in decentralized testing to support progress toward ending HIV as a public health concern by 2030.

Today at AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada's Minister of Health, announced a total of $17.9 million for the distribution of HIV self-testing kits and other methods of HIV testing that will improve access for populations most affected by HIV across the country, including people living in northern, remote, or isolated (NRI) communities.

The efforts of community organizations are vital to the HIV response and in reaching populations most affected by HIV across the country. These populations include Indigenous peoples, the LGBTQ2 community, African, Caribbean, and Black communities, as well as people from countries where HIV is endemic, people who inject drugs, and people engaged in the sale, exchange or the purchase of sex. That is why $8 million from this funding will go to acquiring HIV self-test kits and supporting community-based organizations, including Indigenous organizations, to make testing more available among the populations they serve. HIV self-test kits offer a safe, reliable, and confidential way for people to screen for HIV infection while significantly reducing the barriers to seeking care often created by stigma and discrimination.

Through the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML), Canada will also invest an additional $9.9 million to expand community-based testing initiatives in NRI communities. The NML will also support training, verification and ongoing quality oversight for these community-based testing programs. For people living in NRI communities, access to culturally appropriate, community-owned and -led testing options for infectious diseases can be key to improving their overall health. With these funds, organizations and communities will be able to purchase diagnostic test for screening, confirmatory testing and ongoing monitoring in the community – that way specimens can be tested on location and not have to be sent elsewhere, leading to faster diagnostics.

During the pandemic, COVID-19 molecular testing was implemented in health facilities in First Nations communities across Canada to enhance access to testing and improve turnaround times for results. The "testing close to home" option is critical for equitable access to testing and for closing the gap in testing capacity in remote communities. In addition to previous funding, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) will receive $1.2 million from the funding announced today to build on previous initiatives by identifying testing potential for other infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza.

Reaching those who are undiagnosed is the first step toward connecting people to treatment, and subsequently achieving an undetectable viral load. When it comes to HIV, Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U). The Government of Canada proudly endorses the U=U message and encourages other countries to do the same by joining Canada and the United States in endorsing the U=U call to action announced at AIDS 2022. Knowledge of U=U increases uptake in HIV testing, treatment and achieving viral suppression, all of which supports progress toward the 95-95-95 HIV targets, and the global goal of ending HIV and AIDS as a public health concern by 2030.

Together, these investments will greatly improve access to testing, empower people and communities to take their health into their own hands, and reduce the barriers to accessing stigma free care.

Quotes

"Making tests more available by getting them directly to people helps break the barriers that too often prevent people from seeking testing, treatment, and care. While this is an important step that will impact many people affected by HIV, we know there is more work to do. Together, let us re-engage, follow the science and carve the path towards a world without HIV-AIDS.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Health

"Accessing culturally safe and timely HIV testing and treatment is still a challenge for many, and has been made increasingly difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting innovative testing approaches, like the ones being funded today, help reduce barriers that come with conventional testing methods. Ensuring that everyone in Canada has access to testing and treatment options for infectious diseases like HIV is a top priority for the Government of Canada."

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions

Quick Facts

  • The estimated incidence rate of HIV in Canada is 4.0 per 100,000 in 2020; rates are higher for certain key populations such as people who inject drugs (239.4 per 100,000); sexually active gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (166.2 per 100,000); and Indigenous peoples (15.2 per 100,000). This means that an estimated 16,690 people in Canada were not engaged or represented in HIV care continuum in Canada.
  • On July 29, the Government of Canada announced $15 million for UNAIDS to support the global HIV response.
  • In 2020, Health Canada made a historic decision to authorize for use the first HIV self-test kit in Canada. Research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research contributed to the approval of this technology.
  • Community organizations across Canada have played a central role in distributing HIV self-test kits, particularly among populations most affected by HIV. With Canada's support for broader distribution, these organizations will receive support to reach a wider client base through their work.
  • The NML is helping provide the necessary resources and training to build community-led and community-owned capacity for health services that provide culturally responsive services in safe environments. The NML's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has helped advance testing in northern, remote and isolated communities.
  • The availability of self-test kits and other forms of decentralized testing in Canada has the potential to accelerate progress toward reaching the UNAIDS 2025 targets of having 95% of all people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed receive antiretroviral treatment and 95% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
  • Canada is committed to health equity and ensuring that no one is left behind. By supporting community organizations, Canada will ensure that we meet these targets across populations most affected by HIV, and across age groups, sexes, regions of the country.

Associated Links

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

Marie-France Proulx, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Maja Staka, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, 343-552-5568; Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709

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