Doctors in Saskatchewan Call for State of Emergency for HIV Rates

Saskatchewan (Canada) has seen the HIV rates at double the national average, and now doctors are demanding that the provincial government declare a state of emergency and address this issue. They want to gain awareness and get approval for additional resources to battle this deadly disease.

When you look at the pockets of real outbreak, it's extremely severe. We're seeing numbers at the level of developing countries with high levels of HIV

One concern is that there don't appear to be many people getting tested in Saskatchewan - that someone who is infected may not even know it and could be unknowingly spreading it to others.

The group also stated that due to late diagnosis, patients in Saskatchewan die at higher rates than people with HIV In other parts of Canada.

A government spokesperson sent out an official email addressing these concerns. Some of the strategies they described in the email include the following:

Outreach clinics in remote, northern and First Nations communities
Hiring of 10 RNs dedicated to HIV treatment.
More than 30 full-time positions were added to increase services along the continuum for HIV care.
An Infant Formula Program for infants born to mothers with HIV.
$416,000 to the Westside Clinic in Saskatoon to provide physician and outreach services.

The doctors who are raising these red flags also want the government to adopt UNAIDS "90-90-90 Goal" by 2020

This goal entails accomplishing the following milemarkers by the year 2020:

90 per cent of those who are HIV-positive knowing their status.
90 per cent of those diagnosed receiving anti-retroviral treatment.
90 per cent of those on treatment having a level low enough that they don't risk transmitting the virus to others.

Story

Do they have any position on why the number of cases are so high?

a reply to: intrptr

I'm still reading the other stories that are tied to this one - will comment back after I've dug a little deeper

Uno

Dos

They need to start handing out condoms for free, to control sexually transmitted HIV, still is the problem with drug users needle swapping.

I guess the biggest problem is the lack of proper testing to start people in the right medicine protocols in order to control the spread.

Is sad that they are having this problem when we have medications that can control HIV in this time and age.

I guess if nobody talks about it will magically disappear that happens to be the motto when HIV was first found in the US and so many people died in terrible circumstances.

a reply to: FamCore

Just caught the story on CBC/Current . They should have the podcast up a little later .

From Saskatchewan doctors calling for the government to declare a public health state of emergency, to negotiating peace between FARC and the Colombian government, to a new study suggesting gut feelings are more important than we think... This is The Current.

www.cbc.ca...

a reply to: FamCore

That UNO link helps some. Sounds like a lot of the same reasons people get HIV elsewhere; 'risky lifestyles', shared needles, ignorance of the disease, not getting tested.

That s*** will jump your bones.

a reply to: marg6043

It sounds like at least in that region, culturally it is still stigmatized (or even if it isn't, there is a widespread perception that you will be frowned upon if you get tested or are infected)

a reply to: FamCore

I was reading about this yesterday and it's very concerning. The rate of infection in the province, if I recall correctly was something around 17 per 100,000. That is a frightening amount and it appears to be spreading with no end in sight.

Never seems to be a shortage of needles and synthetic opioids though....

USA's big pharma problem has been killing Canada too.

Glad to see that some steps are being taken, it's a start.

Canada's Native population are damned if they do damned if they don't.

a reply to: intrptr

Do they have any position on why the number of cases are so high?

Drug addiction is rampant among First Nations peoples here in Canada (needles, meth, oxy, etc). Saskatchewan has the highest populace of that demographic in the country, with Manitoba running a close second.

a reply to: FamCore

Interestingly here in the US is the same even in this time and age, when HIV has been around for over 30 years, that is why we now have privacy laws and you can get a test send to home and back to the lab with no doctor involved.

But I understand that it doesn't work like that in other countries.

Is been over 30 years, Canada is the last country in the world that I would think is having problems with the spread of HIV, specially when they have universal health insurance.

a reply to: intrptr

Those testing positive are from all different walks of life, yet the perception is that HIV positive means IV drug user, and thus, people plead ignorance or refuse to address their personal concerns because they fear of the stigmatization they will be faced with:

"The problem is everyone wants to focus on the intravenous drugs and it stigmatizes the drug even more," [Jason] Mercredi [Associate Director of AIDS Saskatoon] said.

Also

A Saskatoon Health Region special report on HIV in the province showed that since 2005, seven out of 10 positive people in Saskatchewan were either First Nation or Métis.

It's a depressing situation but I'm glad there are initiatives being put forth in response to it

a reply to: marg6043

Canada is the last country in the world that I would think is having problems with the spread of HIV, specially when they have universal health insurance.

That was my exact thought when I saw this story. Even more alarming is that the doctors are comparing the increase in cases and how quickly it has spread to if Saskatchewan were a "developing country". That's nuts to me

a reply to: FamCore

By 'first nation' they mean indigenous natives, more rural, close quarters, sealed in during the winter, especially not trusting the gubment or doctors, say.

As far as intravenous drugs thats a killer anyway, adducts have a less than healthy perspective on the future.

Shoot, I died tomorrow, whats a little "HIV"?

Maybe the thought of contracting an STD has just traumatized me since health class in High School.....but I was under the impression that if you're a responsible adult, you get tested after having a new partner. Albeit my "number" is only 3, I got tested 3 months after beginning sexual contact with each, and for 6 months after until I felt fairly safe with consistent results. It's just my routine. Idk. Its the right thing to do in my eyes. This way if I ever did get anything (or if I do in the future, who knows maybe I'm not done meeting people) I could avoid spreading anything.... Maybe I just have that luxury because I've always been medically insured.

As far as any cases related to drug usage, well I just can't relate to that in any form. I certainly hope those who need it, seek out and accept and use the help they clearly need.

Why can't everyone be sexually considerate like me! LOL!


-Alee

a reply to: FamCore

Unsafe sex is back in, because people under 35 did not see the deviation that was the 80's and early 90's! People are not getting tested like they used to, and they end up getting sick before they even know they are HIV +, which can take years, meanwhile they have unsafe sex and spread it.

Its alarming, in Saskatchewan, but its happening elsewhere too, just not as large of a %. We need to start an awareness campaign again for the youngsters!

As a 45 yo gay man who lived in the Chicago area, the obituary s in a Magazine called Gay Chicago back on the early 90's would go on for pages, of gay men young and old. It was a very, sad, scary time.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: FamCore

By 'first nation' they mean indigenous natives, more rural, close quarters, sealed in during the winter, especially not trusting the gubment or doctors, say.

As far as intravenous drugs thats a killer anyway, adducts have a less than healthy perspective on the future.

Shoot, I died tomorrow, whats a little "HIV"?

You're right, I've seen it - you probably have too.

Back in the day I used to rave all night in Victoria and once they close the doors head to my place and break the # out of T&C and drink a lot. Our designated driver would drive us to Swartz bay terminal and we catch the first ferry to Vancouver. Our favorite part of the trip was always hanging around Hastings and visiting the "cafes" in the area...

Anyways...

It was very common to see people picking up used syringes for their next fix, which always baffled me as they had needle exchange clinics and safe shoot up spots (legal place to shoot up with health workers there to assist with overdose).

One day some random dude asked me if I had a rig, I jokingly said "I saw a few outback in that alley" thing is I wasn't joking as I did just see some. He ran that way for it, I told him to stop and that I was joking but it was too late he already found one. People in that state of mind do not care about themselves or others.

Screw tomorrow is what they are thinking.

I had a friend step on a syringe, while compressing boxes for his work by a dumpster, he denied ever contracting anything but he hung himself a few years later. He was not in good health and was not doing drugs. This affects everyone.

A girl I know got stuck emptying a garbage can at her fast food job, I've lost contact over the years and never asked if anything negative came from it.

Before I end my post OP is right, not all these cases are drug users. One example is a husband cheating on his wife with sex trade workers, many of them are drawn to this line of "work" by drugs and they are part of the infection rate. Mr John brings HIV home to wifey, knocks her up, and all of a sudden she gives birth to twins with HIV...not all pregnancies result in HIV for the fetus but it is quite common.

The stereotypes are there for a reason but it doesn't mean that they should always be applied.

Not implying you think this just wanted to clarify my point to avoid any confusion.

a reply to: DigitalVigilante420

No, not all HIV cases are caused by"bad" behavior, but a lot of them have their roots in it by which I mean you can tracetheir originas back to someone who did something they shouldn't have.

I remember reading an article in a Nat. Geo (I think) years ago about an epidemic they were have in poarts of rural China. They encouraged entire communities to donate blood and the equipment was more or less used in common. Farmers and members of families from rural villages would do it for some extra cash. Well, so would truckers who worked over the border into Taiwan. Those same truckers would indulge when they were over the border - sex with hookers and drugs, and inevitably they brought HIV back into China where the community blood apparatus would end up infecting large numbers of rural folks who them took it home to spread.

So, lots of innocent victims but the roots were in vice yet again.

a reply to: DigitalVigilante420

Ever read the book or see the film, Basketball Diares?

a reply to: intrptr

is this the one? I'm unfamiliar www.imdb.com...

a reply to: FamCore
Yes. Hard to watch, not for the squeamish. Book is better, gives an addicts eye view of the world of heroin addiction.