CATIE Blog | HIV and hepatitis C news and opinions

Let’s talk about menopause and HIV

November 21, 2023 • By Sugandhi del Canto

Thanks to advances in treatment and care, people living with HIV are enjoying longer, healthier lives. This also means that more people living with HIV are going through the journey of menopause, a significant life transition that many cisgender women, and some trans men and non-binary people, experience*. Despite a large number of women spending nearly half their lives in menopause, it is not commonly discussed as part of sexual and reproductive health, nor is it commonly discussed as part of HIV care. Added to this, many women do not feel they can seek out care for menopause, or when...

Insights from the Engage Study: The road to elimination of HIV as a public health threat for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men

November 21, 2023 • By Trevor Hart and Dan Miller

Recently released estimates from the Public Health Agency of Canada show significant progress toward eliminating HIV as a public health threat for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM). The estimated rate of new infections among sexually active gbMSM decreased by 20% from 2018 to 2020, which is a huge cause for celebration. Also encouraging are the estimates from 2017-2019 data that show 98% of gbMSM living with HIV in Canada had been diagnosed, 96% of those diagnosed were on treatment, and 94% of those on treatment had achieved viral suppression. Viral suppression means that the...

INHSU 2023: Global lessons for the health of people who use drugs

November 10, 2023 • By Christopher Hoy

In October, CATIE attended INHSU 2023, the 11th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis Care in Substance Users. This leading international conference brought experts from around the world to Geneva, Switzerland, where they discussed the latest in research, programs and policy on hepatitis and the health of people who use drugs. While there, CATIE spoke with presenters and attendees and asked them to share key messages from the conference. Watch the short videos below and catch up on some of the topics discussed at INHSU 2023. Christopher Hoy is the associate director of Ontario hepatitis C and harm reduction...

Celebrating the legacy of Ron Rosenes

October 23, 2023 • By John McCullagh

It is with a heavy heart that I share the sad news that my friend and colleague Ron Rosenes died on Saturday, October 21, 2023, after a short illness. My deepest sympathies go out to Ron’s partner Brian Goodman, to his family, and to the many community members whose lives he touched. Like many of us, I will miss him dearly while also paying homage to his accomplishments on behalf of people living with and affected by HIV and the LGBTQ+ community. Motivated by his own HIV diagnosis 40 years ago, Ron was an outspoken, but always polite, advocate for...

CAHR 2023: Interview videos with leaders in Canada’s response to HIV

August 17, 2023 • By CATIE

Every year the Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) organizes Canada’s leading HIV research conference, where researchers, service providers, people living with HIV, policy-makers and advocates come together to exchange knowledge, share their work and learn about advances in HIV research. CATIE attended CAHR 2023 in Quebec City to tap into the latest discussions and debates in Canada’s HIV response. Learn more about what people were saying at the conference in the videos below. Canada’s progress on its HIV targets CATIE caught up with leaders in Canada’s response to HIV and asked them how Canada performed on its 2020 targets...

Visual voice: Incorporating story with wellness

August 15, 2023 • By Kate Dunn

“We know the hepatitis C virus is a silent, often sneaky virus that wreaks havoc in the liver, is detectable through screening and is cured through oral medication in a matter of weeks. But our rates are rising because there is no personal engagement. We need culturally connected awareness resources to make an impact.” -Indigenous Knowledge Keeper While collaborating with an Indigenous community in Alberta to streamline hepatitis C pathways to care, I had the opportunity to take part in the co-creation of a culturally connected liver health awareness film. I was inspired to action when this resource was...