The fight is still on

Recently released 2009 Alberta HIV statistics show the reversal of a five-year trend. Rates of new HIV infections declined from the previous year. New infections decreased from 232 in 2008 to 219 in 2009, a decrease of 6%. Nationally, new infections declined by 8% in the same time frame.

When new stats are released, the numbers will inevitably contain both good and bad news. Seeing a decline, even a small decline, is always good news for those in the field of HIV prevention. Every possible new infection that can be avoided is a success.

In addition to the decline of total new infections, another piece of good news for Alberta in 2009 is that new infections attributed to IDU (injection drug use) have been steadily declining since 2000, a credit to successful harm reduction-based needle exchange programs.

The bad news is the groups that are hit especially hard by HIV. It might surprise you to learn that in Alberta, heterosexual sex is the method of transmission for nearly half of all new HIV infections. In 2009, heterosexual sex accounted for 46.8% of new infections. The majority of those impacted by heterosexual transmission are women (particularly women from Aboriginal populations or countries where HIV is considered endemic).

The MSM (men who have sex with men) population also continues to be over-represented, accounting for 34.5% of all new infections in 2009. For men, MSM continues to be the exposure category that accounts for the most new infections, 50% of all new infections in men in 2009. The total number of men contracting HIV in the MSM exposure category increased by 10% from 2008 (68 to 75 new infections), and 40% from 2006 (53 to 75 new infections). Despite the decline in new infections, these numbers show us that the real numbers of MSM contracting HIV are still increasing.

So even with the decline in new infections, the fight is still on here in Alberta! AIDS Calgary has made a few changes over the past year to better address the spread of HIV in certain communities. Our HEAT program (which is specific to gay men/MSM) has been bumped up to a full-time program. HEAT outreach is happening on a weekly basis: online, through social media sites and live at a bar near you! We have also launched our African Communities Project to start working with those African communities in Calgary that are most in need of our education, prevention and support services.

We also know one of the best ways to address the spread of HIV is through testing. Evidence shows that early detection can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others. The number of HIV tests in Alberta has been increasing since 2005 but there is still work to be done to make testing a more routine part of medical care for all Albertans.

A focus on promoting testing and reaching out to those populations that are experiencing high rates of new infections will continue to be priority items for AIDS Calgary in 2011.