Category: Articles | Page 6

Progress toward viral hepatitis elimination in Canada: Holding governments accountable

May 11, 2023 • By Jennifer van Gennip

On May 11, 2023, Action Hepatitis Canada (AHC) released its Progress Toward Viral Hepatitis Elimination in Canada 2023 Report. This is an update on the 2021 report and provides an analysis of each province and territory’s progress toward eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030, a goal set by the World Health Organization (WHO). With a cure for hepatitis C and a vaccine for hepatitis B, this is an ambitious yet realistic goal. Two years after the initial report, we wanted to see what progress had been made in adopting person-centred policies through a health equity lens,...

What needs to happen to eliminate hepatitis B in Canada

May 9, 2023 • By Fozia Tanveer

When you think of hepatitis B, what comes to mind? An infection you can acquire while travelling? A virus that can be passed through sex or sharing needles? An infection that is mostly preventable with a two-dose vaccine? While all of these are true, the epidemiological realities of hepatitis B in Canada are changing. More and more Canadians with hepatitis B are immigrants and newcomers from countries where hepatitis B is endemic, and where transmission mostly occurs during pregnancy and childbirth. A recent study from the University of Waterloo suggests that under current strategies for diagnosis, vaccination and treatment, Canada...

Stigma and hepatitis C

May 4, 2023 • By Daphne Rose

Hepatitis C is often impacted by significant social stigma, affecting marginalized groups including people with lived experience of drug use and imprisonment, as well as Indigenous communities. Stigma arises when negative attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes are held by individuals or society towards a particular group. This leads to discrimination, marginalization, as well as negative social and health outcomes for stigmatized groups or individuals. People who use drugs and hepatitis C People who use drugs, particularly through injection, are at a higher risk of contracting hepatitis C through sharing needles and other drug use equipment. However, the stigma associated with drug...

How peer advisory councils are improving access to harm reduction in communities across Manitoba

April 25, 2023 • By Shohan Illsley

CATIE spoke with Shohan Illsley, executive director of the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, about the peer advisory councils they coordinate across the province, and how this model is helping improve access to harm reduction within rural and remote communities. What are peer advisory councils and how do they fit into the work of the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network? The Manitoba Harm Reduction Network is basically a network of networks. We have 11 networks in the province and nine of them work in rural and remote communities. Everywhere we have a network, we have a peer advisory council (PAC). PACs are...

Three important things to know about hepatitis C and HIV among people who inject drugs

April 25, 2023 • By Camille Arkell

In Canada, recent estimates show that people who inject drugs continue to be disproportionately affected by high rates of hepatitis C and HIV. They are also less likely to be tested, connected to care or receive treatment. To prevent hepatitis C and HIV, as well as improve outcomes for people who inject drugs, it is important to gain a better understanding of how changes in the drug supply and related trends impact vulnerability to these infections and how we can improve supports. To identify where these additional supports are most needed, the following three important points can help us to...

Five key recommendations to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV

February 13, 2023 • By Zoe Osborne, Valerie Nicholson and Angela Kaida

Love Positive Women is an international movement that invites us to celebrate women living with HIV around the globe. This annual event is an opportunity to engage in acts of caring for the women living with HIV in our community, both in private acts and in pushing for systems change. In Canada, women make up approximately 25% of all people living with HIV. Despite this, women’s voices, priorities, and distinct needs have been underrepresented in the national conversation about HIV. Particularly in the space of sexual and reproductive health and rights, there are few initiatives that focus specifically on women...