Mr. Speaker, once again, Vancouver and B.C. are at the forefront of HIV-AIDS research and innovation.
Yesterday, The New York Times gave kudos to the “test and treat” pilot program pioneered by Dr. Julio Montaner, head of the HIV-AIDS clinical trials at St. Paul's Hospital.
The three-year pilot program, fully funded by the B.C. government, gives free anti-retroviral drugs to all new HIV positive cases. One dose lowers the amount of virus in the blood, making the person 90% less infected. This is prevention and treatment in one.
The New York Times credits this program, plus the city's safe injection site, for Vancouver's lowering infection rates, while other cities in North America are increasing.
The UNAIDS agency has officially set “test and treat” as its global goal.
Despite those facts, the Conservative government continues to cut funding to the national AIDS strategy and continues to sue to close Insite. What a missed opportunity.