Too often, the message we are seeing is this: HIV/AIDS has a taken a back seat to the unprecedented arrival of COVID-19.
This article published by CBC News draws attention to the growing number of HIV cases in Saskatchewan (an increase of 30% between 2018 and 2019). In the midst of COVID-19, calls for help from the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network have been largely ignored.
Many populations, such as Indigenous communities, are susceptible to contracting HIV and are fighting against simultaneous epidemics/pandemics at once: COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, poverty, racism… the list goes on. At present, there is medication available to help folks living with HIV live long and healthy lives, but stigma and lack of access to resources (especially prevalent due to COVID-19) leads to preventable deaths.
The CANFAR2025 campaign aims to eradicate the HIV epidemic in Canada by the year 2025, but we cannot do it without your help and support. We urge you to educate those around you on the consequences of HIV stigma and on the importance of knowing your HIV status.