After a local doctor raised concerns about the rising rate of HIV cases in Kenora, the Northwest Health Unit says the number of cases reported in the past nine months has surpassed the combined total of the previous eight years.
Dr Kit Young Hoon, medical officer of health for the North West Health Unit, said there was an increase in reported HIV cases, especially towards the end of the year.
“In 2022, there were nine confirmed cases reported to us in the Kenora area and case and contact management is ongoing and [we continue] to monitor the situation,” Young Hun said.
While Dr. Johnny Greck, a physician in Kenora, said there have been 15 cases of HIV in the past nine months, Young Hoon explained why there may be a discrepancy in the number of reported cases.
“We are expected to use provincial case count reporting standards and therefore only report confirmed HIV cases [from a confirmatory blood test conducted by a lab].” she said. “[A] the clinician may have additional clinical information including preliminary test results to the point of care test.
“The bottom line is that HIV cases have each increased in the area, and the public should be aware of this increased risk and make efforts to protect themselves.”
HIV is a very serious disease that people need to be aware of, she said.
“It’s a virus that can be extremely impactful on your health and affects your immune system and destroys your white blood cells and so increases your risk of a number of different infections,” she said. “Once people have HIV, there’s no real cure. medicines [can] reduce the risk to health and to reduce the risk of spread, but it is still a lifelong disease.
She said people can protect themselves by consistently using condoms correctly and avoiding sharing needles and [other] drug preparation equipment.
“Another way to improve your health is if you think you are at risk, please contact your healthcare provider to get tested as soon as possible,” she said. “Early treatment can keep the individual healthy and also prevent it from spreading to other people.”
She said strategies should focus on these preventive measures.
“As a local public health unit, we are of course making efforts to educate and inform all those who may be at risk,” she said, adding that the use of harm reduction equipment such as new drug equipment and condoms, are supplies that people need to allow them to protect themselves.
“[It] it’s really important to empower people to know how to protect themselves and not think it’s going to spread through the air or through casual contact, but make an effort to protect themselves by [these interventions].”
In a news release, Young Hoon said the health unit had been expecting an increase in HIV cases for about a decade because of long-standing higher rates in Thunder Bay and Manitoba.
HIV can be transmitted through certain body fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal and anal fluids, the Health Unit said in a media release.
Young Hoon said it is important to understand the context of the situation and know the facts about HIV to dispel myths.
“We all need to be aware … of how we use language and how it can lead to negative stigma for any population,” she said. “Especially for a population that may already experience negative stigma and have other social challenges.”
“We have also issued an alert for healthcare providers so that healthcare providers are aware and therefore can support their patients with testing and hopefully early diagnosis and early treatment,” she said. “There are a number of other health agencies that are probably looking at this closely and thinking about what’s needed.”
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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