Statistics from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) show that Saskatchewan was the leading province in recorded human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases, with double the national average in 2020.
Now, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has received almost $900,000 in federal funding to not only move forward with research to fight HIV, but also to cure it.
Study leader and USask College of Medicine assistant professor Dr. Kerry Lavender (Ph.D.) also received an award and an additional $100,000 in funding for early-career researchers with top-ranking projects whose research focuses on pandemic preparedness and health emergencies.
Read more: Sask. HIV diagnoses up 18%, syphilis up 172% in 2019
“Currently, the only effective way to treat HIV-1 involves the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens,” Lavender said. “[Our research is] it will make a big difference for people who already have HIV, it will be less scary if you come into contact with it.
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A positive outcome of the project would also reduce costs and stress on the healthcare system, Lavender adds.
According to Smart Sex Resource, out-of-pocket medication can cost $300-$500 per month per person.
Read more: Antiretroviral drugs stop HIV transmission, study shows — but can people afford them?
“These drugs are not fun to take, it’s not something you want to do and they are very, very expensive. I mean, our health care covers them, we’re lucky, but it’s a significant cost,” Lavender said.
While just over 70 percent of newly diagnosed cases are in men, the majority of new cases in men arise from sexual contact between men.
However, injecting drug use also accounts for just over 10 percent of men and over 30 percent of women.
Statistics from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) show that Saskatchewan was the leading province in recorded human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases, with double the national average in 2020.
Elizabeth Pliszka of Prairie Harm Reduction said if a cure is found, it will have a huge impact on the health of people in the drug community.
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“If you’re that kind of person, you don’t have that stability, you don’t have a house to keep your medication in, something like that, then it can be really hard to take those medications every day,” Pliszka said.
Read more: Canada announces $17.9 million at Montreal AIDS conference to expand HIV testing
Pliska added that some drug users do not have a stable environment to deal with their health problems.
With all the positives that come along with finding a cure, Vidya Reddy, an education specialist with AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan (APSS), said the research could help end the stigma surrounding those battling the virus every day.
“If we really find a cure for HIV, we can change all of that overnight,” Reddy said.
Lavender mentioned that research is already underway as she assembles her team of professionals from around the world.
One researcher already in the group comes from Japan with previous experience in HIV research.
1:54 Canada criticized for higher HIV rates than other industrialized countries Canada criticized for higher HIV rates than other industrialized countries – July 29, 2022
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