THRIVE's statement on World AIDS Day
In advance of World AIDS Day on December 1st, flags were raised in Waterloo Region and Guelph symbolizing the ongoing efforts towards the elimination of HIV/AIDS and memorializing those we have lost. Flag raisings are important visible symbols of solidarity with People Living with HIV and a strong reminder that the needs for prevention and combating stigma remains.
The work towards an HIV free world is not over. Canada and UNAIDS are part of a global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Since the first reported cases of HIV in the 1980s, more than 88 million people have become infected worldwide, and 42 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses. It is estimated that 65,270 Canadians are currently living with HIV with new infection rates reported at slightly higher levels than prepandemic rates. This underlines the importance of prevention, testing, and linkages-to-care to reach the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals whereby 95% of people living with HIV are diagnosed, 95% are on treatment, and 95% achieve a suppressed viral load.
However, stigma remains a major barrier to the prevention and treatment of HIV. Stigma discourages testing, impacts treatment adherence, obstructs conversations around prevention, and increases isolation - all of which worsen health outcomes. Dignity and confidentiality is at the heart of stigma-free care of those living with HIV and conversations around prevention measures, such as safer sex practices, are better achieved in environments free of discrimination or judgement.
World AIDS Day is more than a date on the calendar. It is a call to action to dismantle the stigma which isolates people living with HIV, and standings in the way of prevention and treatment. Raising the flag signals solidarity with those affected by HIV, honours lives lost, and reminds us all that access to testing, treatment and prevention must be universal. The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day calls for us to overcome the disruption of international funding cuts, transforming the AIDS response. We must also remember that World AIDS Day is not the end of our focus on awareness and ending stigma, but the beginning of Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week. From December 1st through 7th, we honour Indigenous leadership, lived expertise, and wholistic approaches to health and well-being. Action in solidarity makes it possible for people living with HIV to THRIVE, including Indigenous peoples, and for all those vulnerable to HIV to access every prevention support needed for their health.
About THRIVE: At THRIVE, we work toward a future where new HIV, hepatitis C, and sexually-transmitted or blood-borne infections are rare in Waterloo Region & Guelph-Wellington County. People living with HIV will feel that maintaining health, well-being and full community participation are achievable, realistic goals. Through responsive programming and multi-sectoral collaboration, Thrive will: work towards the reduction of HIV, hepatitis C, and other sexually-transmitted and blood-borne infections; address the social determinants of health that create stigma, discrimination, and vulnerability for our service users; and provide excellent HIV care and support to individuals, families and most-affected communities.