HIV transmission in province reaches record low, reveals infections are now ‘sporadic’
vancouver british columbia, December 1, 2023 /CNW/- December 1Yingshi Marks World AIDS Day and the start of Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week. Today, the BC HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence (BC-CfE) is proud to announce that the domestic HIV epidemic is essentially over. british columbia.
Once the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic Canada, british columbia The province currently has record low HIV infection rates. BC-CfE’s progress can be attributed to BC’s development of the Treatment as Prevention® (TasP®) strategy and the availability of government-funded HIV medication pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) since 2018.
New HIV infections in B.C. have increased from about 1,000 per year at the peak of the epidemic to about 120 per year and have remained stable at that level for the past three years. Over the same period, HIV-related negative health effects and premature deaths dropped significantly, by an impressive 90%.
“When BC-CfE opened in 1992, almost one person was dying from AIDS every day in British Columbia. After we discovered that HIV treatment also stopped the spread of HIV, BC-CfE developed the TasP® strategy, which actively promotes access to HIV Opportunities to provide testing, treatment and support to people living with HIV to stop the progression of the virus and AIDS-related deaths, says PhD. Julio MontanerBC-CfE Executive Director and Chief Physician. “Our experience in British Columbia shows that stopping HIV/AIDS as an epidemic is possible. Policymakers and health care leaders everywhere Canada Their commitment must be strengthened and matched by the success of the BC TasP® campaign across the country. ”
A recent BC-CfE genetic analysis of all new people living with HIV (PLWH) diagnosed in British Columbia over the past few decades revealed that confirmed transmission events in the province are mostly sporadic. As a result, the spread of new HIV clusters in British Columbia is at an all-time low. Taken together, these results confirm that the BC plus TasP® + PrEP strategy is highly successful in halting AIDS progression and premature death in PLWH and reducing HIV transmission in high-risk groups.
Dear Adrian Dix, Minister of Health of British Columbia, Said: “Two years ago I joined Ph.D. Julio Montaner and his team at BCCfE announced the end of AIDS as an epidemic. On this World AIDS Day, I am pleased to join them in announcing that the HIV epidemic in British Columbia is almost over. This significant progress is the result of strong collaboration between governments, communities and organizations like BC-CfE on HIV and AIDS treatment, prevention and education programmes. We must continue to work with other jurisdictions to leverage our knowledge and best practices so that together we can end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. ”
BC HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence (BC-CfE) Canadian The largest institution for HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education—nationally and internationally recognized as an innovative world leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS and related diseases.
About the British Columbia HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence
BC HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence (BC-CfE) Canadian The largest institution for HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education—nationally and internationally recognized as an innovative world leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS and related diseases. Since 2011, the British Columbia-made Treatment as Prevention® strategy (TasP®), championed by BC-CfE and supported by UNAIDS, has inspired ambitious global HIV treatment targets – known as 90-90- 90 Goal – Make ending AIDS an important goal.By 2030, BC-CfE is applying TasP® to treatment areas beyond HIV/AIDS, including viral hepatitis and addiction, to promote Targeted Disease Elimination® As a means of promoting sustainability in healthcare. BC-CfE works closely with key stakeholders, including governments, health authorities, healthcare providers, academia and communities, to reduce the health burden of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and addiction. Canada and around the world.
Background information: World AIDS Day
BC HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence
BC Center of Excellence for HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE)es Canadian The largest institution for HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education—nationally and internationally recognized as an innovative world leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS and related diseases. For more than thirty years, BC-CfE Innovative models and strategies are developed to assist BC’s most vulnerable residents and eliminate gaps in health care access.
During the AIDS crisis, BC-CfE led the way with BC-made HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) – changing the course of the HIV/AIDS crisis and delivering the first treatment to reduce HIV to undetectable levels , reduce the risk of transmission. The Treatment as Prevention (TasP®) strategy pioneered by BC-CfE provides immediate, ongoing treatment for people living with HIV ( Effective testing and tracing), further reducing morbidity, mortality and new infections.
Today, BC-CfE is making a contribution to the sustainability of healthcare by applying TasP® to therapeutic areas beyond HIV/AIDS, including viral hepatitis and opioid use disorder, to achieve Targeted Disease Elimination (TDE™) contribute. Most recently, BC-CfE launched an evidence-based, research-driven integrated clinical care facility – Hope Health Research and Innovation Center – A place that provides universal, comprehensive, accessible health care to marginalized British Columbians who don’t have access to medical services.
The HIV epidemic is coming to an end in B.C.
BC-CfE analysis shows that TasP® is highly effective in halting AIDS progression and premature death among people living with HIV (PLWH) and that TasP® prevents HIV transmission at no additional cost, making it a cost-saving strategy. Global consensus that people living with HIV cannot transmit HIV when fully virologically suppressed on antiretroviral therapy has led to the community-based U=U (undetectable = uninfectious) movement. Preliminary BC-CfE studies show that adding targeted PrEP to TasP® significantly reduces HIV transmission.
Today, BC-CfE is encouraging policymakers and health care leaders everywhere Canada Strengthen their commitment and build on the success of the BC TasP® campaign across the country in an effort to achieve the United Nations 2025 95-95-95 Goals, a necessary step to “End the AIDS Epidemic by 2030.”
About TasP®
Pioneered by BC-CfE and supported by UNAIDS since 2011, the British Columbia-made Treatment as Prevention® strategy (TasP®) has inspired ambitious global HIV treatment goals. UNAIDS 90-90-90 aims to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, which is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal.
BC-CfE analysis shows that TasP® is highly effective in halting AIDS progression and premature death among people living with HIV (PLWH) and that TasP® prevents HIV transmission at no additional cost, making it a cost-saving strategy. In fact, today we have a global consensus that people living with HIV cannot transmit HIV when fully virologically suppressed by antiretroviral therapy, leading to community-based U=U (undetectable = not infectious) sports. Preliminary BC-CfE studies show that adding targeted PrEP to TasP® can significantly reduce HIV transmission.
about pre-exposure prophylaxis
exist british columbia, HIV PrEP is available free of charge to eligible patients clinically considered to be at risk for HIV infection through the BC HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence (BC-CfE) drug treatment program. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the use of oral antiretroviral drugs in HIV-negative individuals to reduce the risk of HIV infection. In this context, PrEP refers to the continued use of antiretroviral drugs before and after potential exposure to HIV. PrEP differs from post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which uses a short course of standard three-drug antiretroviral therapy (ART) after a high-risk exposure event. Since 2010, six randomized controlled trials involving men who have sex with men (MSM), HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples, and people who inject drugs (PWID) have been published showing that tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-based PrEP (TDF) (with emtricitabine (FTC), or TDF alone in two studies) as part of an HIV prevention regimen is effective in individuals with high medication adherence (1-6).
SOURCE BC HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence
For more information: James Prescott, email: (email protected), cell: 1-604-314-1330