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Source: https://thestarphoenix.com/news/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-reports-record-number-of-hiv-cases-in-2021
Saskatchewan reports record number of HIV cases in 2021
The province already had the highest transmission rate in the country, estimated at about three times the national average.
Author of the article:
Zak Vescera
Publishing date:
May 21, 2022 • 27 minutes ago •
More Saskatchewan residents were diagnosed with HIV in 2021 than any year prior, a setback in a decades-long fight to get the province’s sky-high transmission rates under control.
The province, which already had the highest rates of the virus in Canada, reported 237 new cases last year — a record total doctors say shows worsening inequities that abet HIV’s spread.
Dr. Johnmark Opondo, a top public health physician, said the COVID-19 pandemic hampered access to care including HIV testing. But, he says, the high case loads are not only a reflection of delayed diagnoses.
“I think if we blame it all on that, that’s a misrepresentation,” said Opondo, a medical health officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
“I also believe our transmission dynamics have intensified. This increase in numbers is not just artifactual catching up in testing.”...
Saskatchewan reports record number of HIV cases in 2021
The province already had the highest transmission rate in the country, estimated at about three times the national average.
Author of the article:
Zak Vescera
Publishing date:
May 21, 2022 • 27 minutes ago •
More Saskatchewan residents were diagnosed with HIV in 2021 than any year prior, a setback in a decades-long fight to get the province’s sky-high transmission rates under control.
The province, which already had the highest rates of the virus in Canada, reported 237 new cases last year — a record total doctors say shows worsening inequities that abet HIV’s spread.
Dr. Johnmark Opondo, a top public health physician, said the COVID-19 pandemic hampered access to care including HIV testing. But, he says, the high case loads are not only a reflection of delayed diagnoses.
“I think if we blame it all on that, that’s a misrepresentation,” said Opondo, a medical health officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
“I also believe our transmission dynamics have intensified. This increase in numbers is not just artifactual catching up in testing.”...