Category: News | Page 8

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...

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...

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.