CATIE Blog | Page 4 | HIV and hepatitis C news and opinions

A conversation between Dr. Theresa Tam and Jade Elektra

February 29, 2024 • By Dr. Theresa Tam and Jade Elektra

Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) refers to the scientific consensus that HIV cannot be sexually transmitted when a person living with HIV consistently takes antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the amount of HIV in their blood remains very low—so low that it cannot be detected by many standard HIV tests. While the U=U message empowers people living with HIV and reduces stigma associated with the virus, it is only effective if individuals living with HIV are able to continuously take their medication. Some people in Canada, such as African, Caribbean and Black communities, Indigenous people, gay, bisexual, and other men who have...

Insights from the Engage Study: HPV vaccine effectiveness and uptake among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men

February 13, 2024 • By Dr. Ann Burchell and Dan Miller

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus that is most easily passed during sexual contact. The body clears most HPV infections on its own, however some become persistent. There are many different types of HPV. Certain types can cause cancer, including anal, cervical and oral cancers. Some types cause anal and genital warts. HPV cannot be cured by medication, but there are vaccines that can prevent a person from getting some types of HPV. All HPV vaccines protect against the two types that cause most cases of anal and cervical cancer (types 16 and 18), and some vaccines protect...

Doxy-PEP for syphilis prevention: What is it, does it work and how can we overcome barriers to access?

February 13, 2024 • By Brook Biggin

For years, gay, bisexual, trans, Two-Spirit and queer (GBT2Q) communities have been experiencing unacceptably high rates of syphilis with limited action taken by others outside the work of community-based sexual health organizations. However, provincial and federal responses have been stoked due to an increase in heterosexual transmission and a rise in cases of babies born with syphilis, also known as congenital syphilis. When acquired by a fetus during pregnancy, syphilis can result in miscarriage, stillbirth or permanent disability of the newborn. Consequently, efforts to leverage innovative syphilis interventions have accelerated, alongside interest in new prevention options for GBT2Q men. One...

AIDS Action Now! is disbanding

December 12, 2023 • By Darien Taylor

After 35 years of fierce activism, AIDS Action Now!, the HIV treatment activist group, is shutting down. AIDS Action Now! was formed in Toronto in 1988 as a community-based response to the lack of institutional leadership regarding treatment and healthcare for people living with HIV/AIDS. Its strategy was to combine confrontational public demonstrations with strategic documents and “behind the scenes” meetings with government and institutional leaders. These meetings pushed decision-makers to respond more forcefully to HIV healthcare at a time when it was highly stigmatized and few treatment options were available. Guided by a steering committee composed mostly of people...

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...