CATIE Blog | Page 11 | HIV and hepatitis C news and opinions

Helping harm reduction programs move towards best practices

December 15, 2021 • By Carol Strike

For harm reduction programs across Canada, the distribution of injection, smoking and snorting/sniffing supplies remains a crucial activity to reduce drug-related harms. While estimates of the number of people who use drugs from unregulated markets are imprecise, the evidence that does exist suggests that more than 170,000 Canadians inject drugs and 730,000 used cocaine or crack in the past year (1). Population estimates of the number of Canadians who used crystal methamphetamine are not available. The rates of needle/syringe sharing in Canada have dropped in the past 20 years to just over 10% among people who inject drugs, but more...

Spotting for people who use drugs: What, when and how

December 8, 2021 • By Melissa Perri and Nat Kaminski

With an increasingly poisoned drug supply and criminal laws that make the consumption of drugs more dangerous, people who use drugs rely on each other and their service providers to spot an overdose and get help as needed. But what if a person is using drugs on their own? This dilemma has become even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, as public health guidance has discouraged gatherings and promoted physical distancing.

Changing policies and addressing inequities: The health and wellbeing of people who use drugs

November 23, 2021 • By Rivka Kushner and Nikitah Habraken

The International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) expanded its mandate in 2020 beyond viral hepatitis to include the holistic health of people who use drugs, and from October 13 to 15, 2021, the organization hosted its first conference with this expanded mandate. Held virtually, this year’s conference brought together people with lived and living experience, healthcare and social service providers, researchers, advocates, policy-makers and community leaders to discuss promising practices, emerging trends, new research and what’s needed to support the health of people who use drugs around the world. An overarching theme of the conference related...

How Rwanda is eliminating hepatitis C and what Canada can learn from its successes

November 18, 2021 • By Dr. Jean Damascene Makuza, Dahn Jeong and Sofia Bartlett

Rwanda is a country situated in sub-Saharan, eastern Africa with a high population density: 499 people per square kilometre in 2018 and a population of 12.6 million people in 2019, an increase of 2.64% from 2018. Although it is among the poorest countries in the world and experienced a genocide against the Tutsi people in 1994, Rwanda has made immense progress in the fields of public health, achieving its Millennium Development Goals for population health, such as reduction of under-five mortality and maternal mortality.

Surveillance des surdoses : quand le communautaire prend la situation en main

November 18, 2021 • By Bianca Desfossés et Émilie Roberge

Vous avez entendu parler de la crise des surdoses? Celle qui ravage le Canada depuis de trop nombreuses années déjà? Oui? Vous savez donc sûrement que le Québec ne se distingue pas des autres provinces. En effet, de juillet 2020 à juin 2021, 495 décès sont reliés à une possible intoxication aux opioïdes ou autres drogues. Le fentanyl est souvent pointé du doigt, mais il n’est pas le seul coupable.

Do people with HIV need an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose?

November 9, 2021 • By Shari Margolese

As provinces across Canada begin to roll out third doses of COVID-19 vaccines, information about who qualifies for additional or booster doses is coming at us faster than you can say immunocompromised. But are we immunocompromised? Do we need a booster or a third dose? Is there a difference? Where can we find information tailored for people living with HIV?