World AIDS Day 2020

What is World AIDS Day?
More options for HIV testing in Canada
HIV/AIDS in Canada
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What is World AIDS Day?

World AIDS Day, December 1, which also launches the start of Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week in Canada, is a time for reflection: on what we have achieved with regard to the national and global response to HIV, and what we still must achieve.

This year’s World AIDS Day comes in the midst of another global epidemic: the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The public health response to these epidemics is linked. The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care. And without strategies to meet these needs, we may see a resurgence of HIV that would threaten our public health response to COVID-19.

More options for HIV testing in Canada

Testing is an essential part of the HIV cascade of care. People living with HIV can only be linked to treatment, care and support services if they have been diagnosed. Once a person is diagnosed, effective treatment will enable them to live a long and healthy life, to have HIV-negative children, and not have to worry about passing on HIV to their sex partners. People who test negative and are at ongoing risk for HIV can be linked to prevention, harm reduction and other services as necessary.

HIV/AIDS in Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) monitors the HIV epidemic in Canada. PHAC estimated that at the end of 2018 there were 62,050 Canadians with HIV. An estimated 87% of the people in Canada with HIV were diagnosed and aware they had HIV. This means that an estimated 13% of people with HIV were undiagnosed at the end of 2018.

For a summary of the most recent estimates for HIV infections in Canada see Estimates of HIV incidence, prevalence and Canada's progress on meeting the 90-90-90 HIV targets, 2018.