Category: Articles | CATIE Blog

Realizing PrEP’s full potential: It’s time to broaden awareness and access

November 19, 2024 • By Mallory Harrigan

PrEP is a highly effective tool for preventing HIV, but remains underused by many populations who could benefit. In order to realize PrEP’s full potential to dramatically reduce the number of HIV transmissions in Canada, there’s an urgent need to scale up its use and broaden its reach. Promisingly, PrEP has played a role in reducing the number of HIV transmissions among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM), who make up the vast majority of people currently using PrEP in Canada. For example, studies have shown that PrEP contributed to declines in HIV transmissions among...

Strong Medicine: Seven years later

November 13, 2024 • By Danita Wahpoosewyan and Trevor Stratton

In 2018, CATIE and CAAN (Communities, Alliances & Networks) released Strong Medicine, a film by and for Indigenous people living with HIV. The film weaves together Indigenous knowledges of culture and wellness with Western knowledge of HIV testing and treatment. By sharing their experiences with Indigenous and Western medicines, eight Indigenous activists teach us that HIV isn’t something to be feared and show us different ways to walk the healing path. Seven years after Strong Medicine was released, CATIE spoke with two of its stars, Danita Wahpoosewyan and Trevor Stratton, to reflect on what has changed, what has remained the...

On-demand PrEP use among GBQM: Insights from the PRIMP study

September 23, 2024 • By Emerich Daroya, Daniel Grace and Darrell H. S. Tan

Many gay, bisexual, queer and other men who have sex with men (GBQM) can benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV transmission. The use of PrEP involves HIV-negative people taking antiretroviral drugs to lower their chance of getting HIV. PrEP is highly effective and can be taken daily or on demand through the 2-1-1 method, which offers an alternative dosing strategy. This method involves taking two pills two to 24 hours before sex, one pill 24 hours after the first dose, and another pill 24 hours after the second dose. In 2019, the World Health Organization endorsed PrEP on-demand...

From advocacy to celebration: A day to honour sex workers

September 9, 2024 • By Michael Burtch

Anarcho-feminist icon Emma Goldman famously didn’t say “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” However, the misquote persists. Perhaps it’s because the sentiment resonates with so many of us in social justice work. No doubt it was on the Global Network of Sex Work Projects’ minds in 2019 when they launched an annual international sex worker rights day called Sex Worker Pride. Taking place on September 14, this day differs from other days that call attention to sex workers’ labour rights, access to justice and violence against sex workers by focusing on celebration. It...

Beyond the tip of the iceberg: Brain injury after drug poisoning

August 26, 2024 • By Shanell Twan and Dr. Kaylynn Purdy

The toxic drug crisis has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Canadians. However, non-fatal drug toxicity events (also called overdoses) are much more common than fatal events. Brain injury is a lesser known harm related to drug toxicity that can happen when people survive a drug poisoning event. A brain injury affects how the brain works. It can occur during a drug toxicity event because breathing slows down or stops and there is a lack of oxygen to the brain. CATIE spoke to Shanell Twan, assistant manager at Streetworks, a harm reduction program in Edmonton, and Dr. Kaylynn...

Reflections on 20 years of harm reduction in British Columbia

August 13, 2024 • By Jane Buxton

Harm reduction has many definitions but in essence is an evidence-based and person-centred approach that seeks to reduce the harms associated with substance use. It provides people who use drugs with resources to make healthier and safer choices without insisting on abstinence. I have worked in harm reduction and substance use for 20 years, including 18 years as medical lead for harm reduction at the BC Centre for Disease Control. During that time, I was privileged to collaborate with many compassionate colleagues across different sectors and alongside the experts, people with lived and living experience of substance use. In the...