Knowing your status, education key to fighting AIDS, experts say

One out of 10 people living with HIV, around 7,000 people, don't know they have the virus, according to Dave Miller of REACH Nexus, a national research group that deals with sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections.

Miller, who is based in Nova Scotia, attended the International AIDS conference that wrapped up earlier this month in Montreal. 

It was the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that people working in the field of HIV were able to meet in person at the conference. 

Miller told Jeff Douglas, host of CBC's Mainstreet in Halifax, that the conference was a great opportunity to hear about the latest research and science around HIV and for people living with HIV to have their voices heard.

Federal funding for self-testing

During the conference, Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced $17.9 million to expand HIV testing in Canada.

Duclos said $8 million of the total would go toward purchasing and distributing HIV self-testing kits.

Sean Rourke, a scientist with the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St Michael's Hospital in Toronto, who also attended the conference, told Mainstreet in Halifax the investment was a game changer on many levels. 

"It's working with people like Dave, and being on the front lines, where we need to really just let people know about what's possible, who are not coming forward for testing," Rourke said.

"This offers them an alternative, an option to get a test and really, positive or negative, get people connected to the care they need in their community."

In terms of the Atlantic region, Miller said the I'm ready to know program, a national initiative that connects people with  HIV self-testing, is working to educate communities about HIV and the importance of testing. 

Stigma and discrimination

Miller said many people are fearful of the repercussions of getting tested at a health facility because of stigma and discrimination. 

He said testing at home erases those perceived obstacles. 

Rourke said the way monkeypox is being addressed is a cause of concern as it shows that people don't learn fast enough from the experiences of the past with HIV. 

In Canada, people don't talk about things like HIV or monkeypox at the dinner table and there are no advertisements telling people about testing and knowing their status, Rourke said.

Rourke said he was excited when he heard Duclos announced a target of 95 per cent of people knowing their HIV status by 2025 in his opening remarks at the conference. 

He said having a goal should mobilize people and spur them on to aim for an even higher percentage. 

Education essential

Miller said educating people on the importance of knowing their status was essential.

He said he still encounters people who present with AIDS who didn't know they were HIV positive and lived for many years without any symptoms.

"In my travels around Atlantic Canada people ask, 'What is HIV?'" Miller said. "For me, that shows that we know we've done a lot of work, but we still have a lot of work to do around that."

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