More Canadians live and survive with HIV.

The number of people living with HIV in Canada continues to rise, the Public Health Agency of Canada reports. Based on 2005 estimates, the number of people living with HIV is approximately 58,000, up 8,000 from 2002.

The growing numbers are attributed to two sources: newly infected persons and improved survival rates of those infected.

Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, estimates that the number of new HIV infections is about the same (2,300 to 4,500), or slightly greater than the number in 2002. Improved survival rates is related to more effective HIV treatments.

The 2005 estimates on HIV in Canada include judgements of the number of undiagnosed cases of HIV and AIDS. Regularly collected surveillance data are based on the number of HIV and AIDS cases reported. As a result, surveillance data underestimates the HIV epidemic and do not completely represent the number of people infected with HIV or the number infected each year.

Based on the estimates, public health scientists identify certain groups that are at higher risk of contracting HIV, relative to other Canadians. The estimates also provide a better understanding of how these groups have been, and continue to be, affected by HIV since the beginning of the epidemic. "These estimates tell us that HIV/AIDS remains an issue of significant concern for Canada," the report says.

Among those with HIV, 51% are men who have sex with men. However, among those newly infected in 2005, this group is now down to 46%.

Women accounted for 20% of people living with HIV infection in Canada at the end of 2005. In the same year, women were also estimated to account for 27% of all new infections.

Approximately three quarters of new infections among women were attributed to the heterosexual exposure category (endemic and non-endemic together) and the remainder was attributed to the injecting drug user exposure category.

The agency reports that aboriginal people and persons from HIV-endemic countries continue to be over-represented in Canada's HIV epidemic, highlighting the need for specific measures to address the unique aspects of certain groups. Injecting drug users is the main HIV exposure category among Aboriginal persons while heterosexual activity is the main risk for women and persons from HIV-endemic countries. The agency calls for more effective preventive and treatment strategies to target these groups.

www.phac-aspc.gc.ca

Distribution of the estimated number of new HIV infections in
Canada in 2005 by exposure category.

           New Infections

IDU                            14%
Hetero/Non-endemic             21%
Hetero/Endemic                 16%
Other                          <1%
MSM                            46%
MSM-IDU                         3%

MSM--men who have sex with men; IDU--injecting drug users;
Heterosexual/non-endemic--individuals having heterosexual contact
with a person who is either HIV-infected or at risk for HIV, or having
heterosexual activity as the only identified risk for HIV;
Heterosexual/endemic--individuals with an origin in a country where
HIV is endemic (mainly sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean) and not
identified as MSM or IDU; Other--recipients of blood transfusion or
clotting factor, perinatal and occupational transmission.
Source: Canada Public Health Agency.

Note: Table made from pie chart.