Manitoba has second-highest HIV diagnosis rate in Canada, led by injection drug use: report

Manitoba has the second-highest rate of HIV diagnosis in the country, provincial and federal reports reveal.

In 2023, there were 280 new HIV diagnoses in Manitoba — a 40 per cent increase compared to 2022, according to the province's 2023 HIV surveillance report released on Friday.

Manitoba's HIV infection rate was 19.3 people per 100,000, falling only behind national leader Saskatchewan, which had a rate of 19.4 people per 100,000, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada's 2023 report.

The leading cause for HIV cases in Manitoba, the provincial report found, was from people who inject drugs with needles.  This differs from the main national cause being sexual contact.

Helina Zegeye, director for Sunshine House's sexual health outreach program, said it's still difficult for people to access clean harm reduction supplies when using drugs. 

"For the community members we speak with [about HIV], a lot of their experiences with the public health-care system can be traumatizing," Zegeye, who uses they/them pronouns, said.

They added that many community members who struggle with drug use choose to take their health care into their own hands because of stigma and lack of trust in medical providers. 

HIV testing needs to be easier and more options available for different medications, Zegeye said.  

"Taking a pill every day is not easy for anybody," Zegeye said. 

Indigenous females made up 85 per cent of all females referred to the Manitoba HIV Program, according to the group's 2024 update report.

Access to medication

The province said Monday that it's spent $8 million to promote awareness and improve access to care when seeking HIV treatment and other sexually transmitted or blood-borne infections, according to a news release.

Some funding has been used to remove barriers when accessing HIV medication and making it free for people with provincial health-care coverage, according to a May news release. The province also promised funding for community projects on improving HIV prevention.

While medication access is important, Zegeye said many of the people who come to Sunshine House "fall between the cracks" because they don't have access to a health card. 

Zegeye hopes the new health plastic cards will fix that gap.

Albert McLeod, a two-spirit elder from Winnipeg, watched friends and loved ones die from HIV and AIDS with little support throughout the 1980s. He said there was barely any support for 20 years.

"Just the fear prevented people from being empathetic and being there at such an important time when you're at the end of your life," McLeod said during a Monday interview on CBC's Information Radio. "No one was there."

It's important to know and acknowledge the history of HIV in Manitoba, McLeod added, because it has affected so many people across the province. 

"It's still taboo to talk about," said McLeod.

Information Radio - MB8:51Two-Spirit Voices: The HIV/AIDS Epidemic and the Birth of a Movement

In the early 80s, when local two-spirit Elder Albert McLeod returned to Manitoba, the HIV/AIDS epidemic felt distant. But as the years passed, more and more of his friends fell ill, and the impact of the crisis began to reshape his community. Little did he know, this devastation would drive him and others to fight for their rights as queer Indigenous people, laying the groundwork for the Two-Spirit movement. On World AIDS Day, we remember how the HIV/AIDS epidemic shaped our city, and continues to shape lives today. Albert McLeod joins us to reflect on these pivotal moments and their lasting legacy

Rate tripled since 2019

Because the pandemic shut down many health-care resources, McLeod said it caused HIV to spread at an unprecedented pace. 

The provincial report said Manitoba's infection rate has tripled since 2019. 

Across Canada, there were 2,434 new HIV cases in 2023 — a 35 per cent increase compared to 2022, according to the federal report. The national infection average is 6.1 people per 100,000, which is three times lower than Manitoba's rate of 19.3 per 100,000.

McLeod said the province's $8 million investment isn't enough to meet people's needs when struggling with HIV. 

"We delayed for so long that we now have a crisis in the province," said McLeod.

In a news release last year on Worlds AIDS Day, the province dedicated more than $527,000 to support the Manitoba HIV Program and $271,000 for a mobile care service run by the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre. 

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said while their government has dedicated funding to address the increased HIV cases, more still needs to be done. Asagwara pointed to the previous Progressive Conservative government's inaction for why HIV cases are increasing. 

"We didn't get here overnight and we're not going to get out of this challenge overnight," said Asagwara on Monday, adding their government is taking a compassionate approach to get people the help they need.