“Know Your Status” is this year’s theme
Dec. 1 is World AIDS day. Founded in 1988, the day aims to unite people in the fight against HIV/AIDS, show support for those living with it, and commemorate those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) weakens the immune system. If untreated, HIV can progress to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is the most serious stage of an HIV infection and can cause patients to contract life-threatening infections.
According to World AIDS Day, HIV was first identified in 1984 and has since been one of the most destructive pandemics in history, taking the lives of more than 35 million people.
While there is no cure for HIV, treatment is available, so knowing if you are HIV-positive or HIV-negative (what is known as your status) is extremely important. The Community AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) notes that 14 per cent of Canadians do not know their HIV status.
Anyone can be infected with HIV and the main modes of transmitting it are sex and needles. There are six new infections in Canada every day. HIV can be prevented by using condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), or having an undetectable viral load.
PrEP is a prescription pill for individuals who are HIV-negative to prevent them from getting HIV. A patient with an undetectable viral load has copies of the virus that are undetectable to tests. If your viral load is undetectable for six months, you cannot transmit HIV. This prevention method also aims to reduce stigma and discrimination.
The United Nations (UN) has two goals in relation to HIV. The first is to reach 90-90-90 by 2020, which means they want 90 per cent of people living with HIV to know their status, 90 per cent of people diagnosed with HIV to be on treatment, and 90 per cent of those on treatment to have achieved viral suppression. According to CATIE, 86 per cent of Canadians currently know their status, 81 per cent are on treatment, and 91 per cent have achieved viral suppression. The UN’s second goal is to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
This year the UN theme for World AIDS day is “Know Your Status.” The easiest way to do this is to get tested via blood test. In Ontario you can get HIV testing from healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, and midwives), through a testing site, through some sexual health clinics (for example the clinic on Chancellors Way), or through some health organizations like the HIV/AIDS Resources and Community Health (ARCH), which offers weekly HIV testing. The AIDS and Sexual Health Info Line has information about testing locations.
The AIDS and Sexual Health Info Line can be reached at 1-800-668-2437
Photo courtesy of Tasha Falconer