Category: News | Page 7

A message from Laurie Edmiston

April 13, 2022 • By Laurie Edmiston

A message from Laurie Edmiston, executive director of CATIE: Dear friends and colleagues, It is with mixed emotions that I share with you my plans to retire this summer. As much as I love working at CATIE, there are many things I wish to do in life – maybe even during weekdays! In the nearly 19 years I’ve worked at CATIE, I have seen tremendous advances in science and in the community response to HIV and hepatitis C. When I joined the organization, our sole mandate was the provision of HIV treatment information. I’ve been honoured to lead our growth...

The future of PrEP is now!

March 25, 2022 • By Darrell H. S. Tan, MD, FRCPC, PhD

A few days before ringing in the New Year, I received an email notification that got me super excited about the future of HIV prevention. I needed the boost – the omicron surge of COVID-19 was just starting to tear through communities across the country, and had even hit my own household, making for a painfully lonely holiday season just as my husband and our kids were starting the school winter break.

HIV Made Me Fabulous: Celebrating positive women

February 11, 2022 • By Zoë Osborne and Azra Bhanji

Using Valentine’s Day as a backdrop, Love Positive Women is an annual celebration of women living with HIV. As we honour the positive women around the globe, we must also address the inequities that they face navigating sex, dating and love. How can we ensure that the rights of women living with HIV to have pleasurable and satisfying relationships are protected, supported and uplifted?

Rapid tests for the diagnosis of syphilis and HIV: A potential game changer for Canada

February 2, 2022 • By Ameeta Singh and Jennifer Gratrix

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that is on the rise in Canada, with many areas experiencing outbreaks. In 2019, the Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health declared an outbreak after observing a rise in cases not seen since 1948!

What I learned from teaching an HIV and hepatitis C testing course

February 2, 2022 • By Shelley Taylor

HIV treatments are a literal lifesaver and help people to live long and healthy lives, while also preventing transmission. There are also highly effective hepatitis C treatments that cure more than 95% of those living with the infection. But none of the advancements in hepatitis C and HIV treatment are being realized for the 13% of HIV-positive Canadians and 44% of Canadians with hepatitis C who don’t know their status. Testing is the first step towards connecting people to treatment, care and support, and no matter the result, it can also be the gateway to prevention services like harm reduction...

Hepatitis C reflex testing in Canada: from theory to practice

February 2, 2022 • By Romane Close

Hepatitis C testing in Canada can be complicated. Until recently, hepatitis C testing through provincial labs across the country was standard two-step testing. This approach uses two separate blood samples collected at two separate times. The first blood sample is for the screening test that looks for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus. This screening test determines if a person has ever been exposed to the virus. If this test result is positive, a second blood sample is taken to conduct the confirmatory test that looks for the presence of the hepatitis C virus in the blood. This test confirms...