The Pulse: May 2023

2023 Federal Budget offers no designated HIV funding

The number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses rose by 5.2% between 2020 and 2021, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. While we have the scientific knowledge needed to eradicate HIV, political powers have been unwilling to provide the funding needed to expand critical preventative and treatment services.

Right now, the federal government spends $33.4 million each year on the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund and the Harm Reduction Fund. The Ministry of Health has also proposed $36 million for Health Canada over a period of 3 years starting in 2024 for the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund. This fund would improve and expand

access to various treatments and abortions but does not focus on HIV. Experts say this funding is not nearly enough.

Since 2019, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health and other advocates have been calling for the federal government to put $100 million towards efforts to stop HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) each year. The trend of rising HIV cases indicates an urgent need for preventative, treatment, and care services. Canada has committed to the global goal of ending HIV and AIDS as a public health concern by 2030, but to make this happen we need to put our money where our mouth is.

Peer (to Peer) Workshops

More workshops are coming this month! Here’s when we’re kicking our first one off: --> May 4th, 4:00PM @ Cecil Community Centre

APRIL HIGHLIGHTS

The Winning Seed

The 2023 Winning Seed finalists had the opportunity to present their HIV initiatives to judges Matthew Halse (ViiV Healthcare), Mona Loutfy (Women’s College Hospital), and Alicia Sanchez (UNAIDS).

Watch Recording -->

Youth HIV Week

LetsStopAIDS celebrated Youth HIV Awareness Week this past month. From an instagram takeover (by the amazing pop/ R&B group RiVerse), to Red-Mic Interviews with strangers on the streets of Toronto, the LetsStopAIDS team dedicated April 10th through April 14th to shedding lots of light on HIV-related topics.

Our volunteers and members of our staff were also able to make it all the way over to Seneca College and Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) to ask young individuals questions on all sorts of topics from dating, to icks, to HIV knowledge.

Check out our social media channels to view all our content from Youth HIV Week 2023!

Red mic interview & condom distribution

We had to hop on the street interview TikTok trend (better late than never!) The team stopped by universities, colleges, and streets of Toronto to see what young people had to say about HIV & AIDS, their dating preferences, and so much more.

Check out our social channels to view the interviews!

HIV IN THE NEWS

Parents can play a critical role in encouraging at-risk adolescents to take PrEP

A new study finds that parents can play a critical role in encouraging adolescents to take HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The populations most at risk for HIV include adolescent cisgender sexual minority males (ASMM) and transgender and gender diverse adolescents (TGDA). As a preventative medication, PrEP could reduce new HIV infections among these populations by 70%. Yet despite increases in knowledge of PrEP, percentages of adolescents taking PrEP remain low.

READ MORE -->

Risks of mental health issues in people living with HIV and their siblings

New research from a study in Denmark shows a troubling correlation between HIV diagnosis and mental health issues, especially in the first two years after diagnosis. The study also found an increased risk for the siblings of people living with HIV (PLWH), though not as much as for PLWH themselves.

The study, which was presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen, examined the health records

of 6,000 PLWH and over 59,000 controls from the past 20 years. The results found that PLWH were approximately  three times as likely to develop depression, use antidepressants, and undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the first two years after diagnosis. Compared to controls without HIV, PLWH were also 10 times as likely to commit suicide.

READ MORE -->

“People with HIV and AIDS are nothing to be afraid of. They are people just like every single one of us, and each has a story to tell. These people should be helped, embraced, and not dismissed. We need to open our hearts and our minds to them, and we just may learn we’re pretty much all the same.”

– Lisa Lampanelli

Integrating healthcare and employment support: a new perspective A Qualitative Study

Employment is generally considered a social determinant of health. Since PLWH have higher rates of unemployment, integrating employment supports with healthcare may be beneficial. Through focus groups and interviews, this study found that healthcare providers could be supportive by giving advice on disclosing status and work limitations and advocating for patients. More research is needed to determine how healthcare providers can assist PLWH in finding and navigating employment.

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Starting antiretrovirals during pregnancy may cause developmental delays in children

To prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, HIV-positive women must start antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy. Thanks to the success of ART, about 15.4 million children under 15 years of age worldwide are free from HIV. But new research suggests that ART may also put children at higher risk of developmental delays.

The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study evaluated the potential effects of ART on language, emotional-behavioural development, and cognition. ART regimens that contained atazanavir put children at even greater risk of neurodevelopmental delays. Scientists say that the timing when ART is introduced during pregnancy could also play a role.

Lack of access to HIV care in Black communities is structural violence

Despite numerous scientific advances in HIV treatment, structural barriers to accessing care are often ignored, especially among ethnic minorities. This ethnographic study focuses on the experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities in Canada and the barriers and inequities these communities face in accessing HIV treatment. Through interviews with PLWH, healthcare workers, social workers, and others, the study shows how lack of access to HIV care is an extension of the structural violence embedded in the foundation of Canadian society.

READ MORE --> READ MORE -->

VOLUNTEER FEATURE

This is our beautiful volunteer feature for this month’s newsletter! Everyone, meet Camila! Camila made her journey all the way from Brazil to Canada in November 2022. From legos to furniture, Camila finds comfort and peace in her passion for assembling things.

In Camila's free time, she finds happiness in long drives, adventures in all the books she reads, and joy in creating stories through her drawings.

Though Camila finds passion in all her hobbies, she has always been willing to lend a helping hand whenever someone asks. In fact, Camila volunteered at the 2022 NoTimeToWait Conference the same week she moved to Toronto.

MAY 04

Peer (to Peer) Workshop

Cecil Community Centre: 58 Cecil St

6:00PM

MAY 06

Not Another Gay Dance Party The Rivoli, 334 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5H 2M9

10:30PM 2:00AM

MAY 23

Toronto Healthcare & Social Services Career Fair

123 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5H 2M9 1:00PM 4:00PM

CANFAR Rocks (AIDSbeat) Fundraising Concert Event  JUN 02 464 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2G8 7:00PM

EMAIL: info@LetsStopAIDS.org

www.LetsStopAIDS.org @LetsStopAIDS