CATIE Blog | Page 8 | HIV and hepatitis C news and opinions

HIV self-testing: a new tool in our toolbox

February 15, 2023 • By Ayibatonye Oriakhi and Christie Johnston

HIV self-testing has arrived in Canada! As we reported a few months ago, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced new funding to increase access to HIV self-testing. Since then, community-based organizations across the country have been distributing HIV self-test kits for free, as well as supporting their clients to use them. Distribution began in November 2022 and is expected to continue at least until March 2023. Together with PHAC, Communities, Alliances & Networks (CAAN), CATIE, Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) and REACH Nexus are collaborating to support frontline workers to incorporate self-testing into their services. We are working with...

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...

A conversation between Dr. Theresa Tam and Bruce Richman

January 12, 2023 • By Dr. Theresa Tam and Bruce Richman

Thanks to advances in HIV science over the last four decades, people living with HIV who are on medication and maintain an undetectable amount of virus in their blood can lead long, healthy lives without the fear of passing HIV to their sexual partners. This is the powerful message behind “Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).” People living with HIV, alongside leaders in the community, have worked tirelessly to share the U=U message and have made significant progress since 2016. This life-changing science has transformed what it means to live and love with HIV globally. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health...

INHSU 2022: Canada’s place in the global landscape of the health of people who use drugs and hepatitis C elimination

December 21, 2022 • By Rivka Kushner and Brooke Nolan

The International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) hosted its first hybrid virtual and in-person conference in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 19 to 21, 2022. INHSU brings together healthcare and social service providers, researchers, people with lived and living experience, advocates, policy-makers and community leaders to discuss emerging issues, innovative programs, new research and approaches to supporting the health of people who use drugs around the world. Main conference themes included reducing harms and improving the health of people who use drugs, as well as assessing progress and possibilities related to achieving the elimination of hepatitis C...

INHSU 2022: Global perspectives on the health of people who use drugs

December 13, 2022 • By Christopher Hoy

In October 2022, CATIE attended the 10th International Conference on Health and Hepatitis Care in Substance Users, INHSU 2022, in Glasgow, Scotland. INHSU 2022 is the leading international conference on hepatitis C and the health of people who use drugs. Researchers, frontline service providers, policy-makers, advocates and people with lived and living experience gathered from around the world to share and discuss the latest in research, programs and policy on the health of people who use drugs. We interviewed several Canadian and international attendees to share what they learned at INHSU 2022, as well as their reflections on the future...

Sex, scandal and scapegoats: Canada’s blood donation policy for sex workers

December 5, 2022 • By Andrew Sorfleet

On May 27, 2022, Canadian Blood Services—the non-profit that manages Canada’s blood supply outside of Quebec—announced that the lifetime ban on blood donation for those who have traded sex for money would be reduced to one year pending approval from Health Canada. Their questionnaire has recently been updated to reflect this decision. They claim current evidence and available testing technology do not support the lifetime ban policy. This policy review came on the heels of outrage and criticism on Twitter in late 2021 by sex workers who had faced discrimination when trying to donate blood. Addressing discrimination on the basis...