Treatment for HIV has undergone a revolution in recent decades, turning what was once a death sentence into a chronic illness for many.
Treatment for HIV has undergone a revolution in recent decades, turning what was once a death sentence into a chronic illness for many, with the help of antiretroviral therapy. Meanwhile, an HIV vaccine could be available in the next couple of years.
But despite the medical progress, people continue to be infected with HIV every year and a significant number of them do not know they are. Early diagnosis is associated with fewer complications and better odds of survival.
A new Ottawa pilot project sponsored by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network and based in a downtown Shoppers Drug Mart is aiming to change that by offering rapid testing at a pharmacy.
Ben Gunter, owner and pharmacist at the Shoppers Drug Mart at Bank and Gladstone, said his pharmacy is one of two in the province — the other is in Toronto — taking part in the project.
There are already numerous places where people can get tested for HIV, including doctors’ offices, sexual health centres and specialty clinics, but they don’t capture everyone.
“We are not trying to reinvent the wheel,” said Gunter, “we are trying to launch an alternative model.”
Gunter specializes in treatment and prevention of HIV, which made his location a natural for the project. Beginning next week, the 90-second tests will be available Monday evenings from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the pharmacy as part of a weekly clinic.
The rapid point of care test screens people for an antibody associated with HIV. The results are almost immediate. Patients with positive results are then sent to The Ottawa Hospital for confirmatory testing.
The centrally located pharmacy is easily accessible and no appointment is needed for the test, which is free, said Gunter.
He is hoping the pilot project catches people who might not get testing elsewhere.
It is estimated that 14 per cent of Ontarians with HIV don’t know they are positive. The pilot project, similar to programs run in other provinces, is aimed at closing that gap.
The Ontario HIV Treatment Network says it will assess the pilot project to see if a broader program would be useful in Ontario.
Ottawa’s HIV infection rates have been slightly higher than the provincial average in recent years, but in 2019 dropped slightly to be more in line with the rest of the province, at 7.5 cases per 100,000 compared with a provincial average of seven cases per 100,000. In 2015, there were five cases of HIV in Ottawa per 100,000 people.
Epidemiologist Dara Spatz Friedman said health officials are still seeing a large percentage of cases in Ottawa that are older infections — meaning they were not tested and diagnosed right away. Any program that increases the rate of testing, she said, is positive.
“The sooner you get tested you can enter into care and the better your outcome will be, personally and from a transmission point of view.”
In 2018, the highest rate of HIV in Ottawa was among men between 30 and 34 years old who had a rate of 22 per 100,000. Eleven per cent of cases were among people who use drugs.
