National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases / Centre de collaboration nationale des maladies infectieuses

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Tel: 204.943.0051
E-Mail: nccid@icid.com

HIV - AIDS

PHAC Resources on HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS remains an issue of concern for Canada. The number of people living with HIV (including AIDS) continues to rise, from an estimated 57,000 in 2005 to 65,000 in 2008 (a 14% increase). The increase in the number of people living with HIV is due to two factors: new treatments have improved survival of HIV-infected persons and new infections continue to occur.

In 2006, the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Advisory Committee on AIDS released A National Portrait: A Report on Governments' Responses to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Canada. Governments across Canada – federal, provincial, and territorial – are addressing the current HIV/AIDS epidemic. The report examines the situation of the epidemic in different Canadian jurisdictions from the perspective of provincial and territorial governments and key stakeholders; summarizes the different policy and programming responses to the epidemic; analyses issues of common concern; and identifies means for strengthening the Canadian response to the epidemic.

National Surveillance data

HIV and AIDS in Canada: Surveillance Reports provide a semi-annual snapshot of persons diagnosed with HIV and AIDS in Canada.  These reports summarize the main findings, followed by a more detailed breakdown of positive HIV test reports, the HIV status of infants exposed perinatally to HIV infection, reported AIDS diagnoses in Canada, mortality due to HIV/AIDS in Canada, and international statistics on AIDS.

HIV/AIDS Epi Updates summarizes recent trends and developments related to the HIV epidemic in Canada. The 2010 version is available, which is based on 2006 - 2009 data. Topics include national HIV estimates, HIV testing and reporting behaviour as well as population-specific statistics and risk behaviours. There are also sections on drug resistance, HIV-1 strain surveillance and perinatal transmission in Canada.

Estimates of HIV prevalence and incidence in Canada (2008)
The HIV and AIDS surveillance data provides a description of the people diagnosed with HIV in any given year. It could however underestimate the Canadian HIV situation due to reporting delays and underreporting or misrepresent it due to the testing behaviour of population groups. This report uses multiple methods to estimate the prevalence, incidence and distribution of HIV in Canada. 

Provincial Surveillance data

Annual HIV/AIDS surveillance reports are available for most provinces:


Other HIV/AIDS resources

Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), University of San Francisco Fact Sheets 
Contains a great number of fact sheets on HIV related topics.