Quebec - 120% increase in HIV cases in Montreal

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120% increase in HIV cases in Montreal

In its report, Montreal Public Health also notes the explosion of cases of syphilis in the infectious phase. Over the past 10 years, the rate of reported infections has increased by 59% among men (from 392 to 621 cases) and by 655% among women (from 9 to 68 cases).

Marie-Eve Cousineau
December 1, 2023
Health

New diagnoses of HIV infection are exploding in the Montreal region. Their number increased from 141 in 2021 to 310 in 2022, a record figure for ten years, according to a report from the Montreal Regional Public Health Directorate published in November. On this World AIDS Day, doctor Réjean Thomas deplores the lack of awareness regarding this “serious disease” which is now “trivialized”.

“It’s not normal that in 2022, there will be a 120% increase in HIV cases,” says the founder and CEO of the l’Actuel clinic. It is not because the disease no longer kills and has become a chronic disease that we should stop doing prevention. »

According to the Montreal Public Health report, the majority of cases detected are among men who have sex with men and people from countries where the virus is “highly endemic”. It is in this last category that the increase in new cases is most marked: from 32 in 2021, their number reached 158 in 2022, an increase of 394%. The increase is 35% among men who have sex with men.

Public Health believes that a “migratory influx” and “a catch-up” in the “offer of HIV detection tests”, after the COVID -19 pandemic , have contributed to this phenomenon.

Dr. Thomas is concerned about late diagnoses in these two populations. The report states that when screened for the disease, 47% of infected men who have sex with men had a CD4 lymphocyte count — an indicator of the state of our immune system — of less than 350 per ml. This proportion was 52% among affected people from countries where HIV is highly endemic.

“This means that these individuals have been infected for years,” explains the HIV-AIDS specialist, specifying that an uninfected person has on average a CDA level between 800 and 1500 CDA. “It’s concerning. » This late diagnosis means that “they are at risk of becoming ill and transmitting HIV if they are sexually active,” he specifies.

HIV still stigmatizes those affected, despite effective treatments that allow them to be non-contagious. “People are very isolated,” says Dr. Thomas . They will suffer significantly more distress, anxiety and suicidal ideation than the majority of the population. People who age with HIV have more comorbidities, such as diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. »

In its report, Montreal Public Health also notes the explosion of cases of syphilis in the infectious phase. Over the past 10 years, the rate of reported infections has increased by 59% among men (from 392 to 621 cases) and by 655% among women (from 9 to 68 cases). “One case of congenital syphilis was reported in the Montreal region in 2020, three in 2021 and seven in 2022, while none had been reported since 2011,” we report.

https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/sante/803078/hausse-120-cas-vih-montreal

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HIV cases continue to rise in Montreal

HIV is still on the rise in Montreal: more than 300 new cases have been recorded this year. The cost of medication and stigma still represent major obstacles to limiting the transmission of the disease, warns Public Health.

Posted at 5:00 a.m.Share
Alice Girard-Bossé
La Presse

A public health challenge

HIV remains a major public health challenge in the metropolis. A total of 329 new cases of HIV were recorded in 2023, compared to 311 the previous year, according to a report from the Direction régionale de santé publique (DRSP) de Montréal published this Friday. “This is higher than what we had before the pandemic, with 190 cases in 2019,” says Dr. Julian Gitelman, medical manager of the Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections (STBBI) sector at the DRSP de Montréal. The increase can be explained in part by the catching up of screenings not carried out during the pandemic due to limited capacities.

A treatment to block transmission

Currently, too few people diagnosed with HIV are getting antiretroviral treatments (ART), according to Public Health. These treatments, when started early, block the progression of the disease and limit the risks of transmission. However, in Quebec, only 82% of people living with HIV are following these treatments. This is insufficient, according to Dr. Gitelman . The target of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS is rather 95%.

A preventive tool still underused

A medication is also available for people who do not have HIV but who may be exposed to the virus. The treatment, called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, prevents the virus from reproducing and settling in immune cells. It can be taken continuously (one daily pill) or on demand (before and after sex). However, its adoption remains insufficient, according to Public Health: only 48.5% of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men for whom treatment is recommended reported using it between 2021 and 2023. PrEP can be prescribed by a family doctor or an authorized health professional at facilities such as the Actuel clinic, the Quartier Latin urban medical clinic or the Licorne clinic.

Groups at higher risk

In the past year, men who have sex with men and newcomers have accounted for the majority of new HIV cases in Montreal. Knowing that most people wishing to immigrate to the metropolis must take an HIV test, “this can partly explain the number of cases observed in this population,” says Dr. Gitelman . In total, 157 newcomers were diagnosed with HIV out of more than 100,000 people who immigrated to Quebec during this period.
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