Ottawa is providing nearly $18 million to distribute HIV self-test kits and support community initiatives to break down barriers to accessing diagnosis and care.
Currently, an estimated 10% of the 63,000 people living with HIV in the country are undiagnosed. By 2025, Canada wants 95% of people infected with the virus to know their status.
To achieve this objective, the federal Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, announced new investments on Monday, on the sidelines of the 24th International Conference on AIDS which takes place until Tuesday, in Montreal.
The first half of the envelope will be used to purchase self-testing kits and to support community organizations that will make these tests accessible to the populations they serve.
Mr. Duclos indicated at a press conference that the self-testing kits offer anonymity and thus make it possible to remove the obstacles caused by stigmatization and discrimination.
“Providing people with testing methods they feel comfortable with is essential so that, one, they know their condition, two, they have access to treatment, and three, their virus becomes undetectable. “, he continued, arguing that maintaining an undetectable viral load does not equate to any risk of sexual transmission of HIV, according to scientific data.
Only one self-test is approved to date in Canada and it is only accessible online on the company’s website, mentions the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec.
The second part of the envelope will be devoted to initiatives in northern, remote or isolated communities, through the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML).
“There are approximately 50 communities that will be supported by this investment,” said Mr. Duclos.
The funds will allow them to acquire diagnostic equipment in order to carry out the tests directly in their communities. The NML will support the training, verification and monitoring of these screenings.
Present alongside the Minister, the leaders of the Coalition of Quebec Community Organizations for the Fight against AIDS (COCQ-SIDA) and the Community-Based Research Centre, a Vancouver-based organization that defends the health of people of sexual diversity, welcomed Ottawa’s support.
This is a “good start” and a “first step”, they stressed, they who want Ottawa to increase its grants dedicated to the fight against HIV by up to $100 million annually and AIDS.
“We are delighted with the recognition of the essential role of community organizations in reaching typically excluded people. However, it must be recognized that funding must be sustained. The community structures that support the actions must have continuous support,” said Ken Monteith, the executive director of COCQ-SIDA.
Community-Based Research Center director Jody Jollimore hopes the announcement opens the door to further discussions with the federal government on prevention, treatment and care plans.
By 2025, Canada wants 95% of people diagnosed with HIV to be on antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of people on treatment to have undetectable levels of the virus.
According to data from the end of 2020, for these two targets, the federal government suggests that 87% of those diagnosed were on treatment and about 95% of people on treatment have an undetectable viral load.