HIV infections in Manitoba reach highest rate in country

New federal data shows Manitoba now has the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the country. The latest numbers indicate infections have risen sharply since 2019, raising concerns about what is driving the increase and how the province is responding.

“Not in the last decade that I have ever considered I would be living through what is becoming a full-blown HIV epidemic,” said Marion Willis, executive director of St. Boniface Street Links.

Manitoba recorded 19.5 cases per 100,000 people last year, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. That represents 291 new infections, a slight increase from 2023 but more than triple the number reported in 2019.

“Incident rates increasing now to the highest in Canada and what we see is if we continue along those trends, we will see higher and higher numbers over time,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer.

The province’s surveillance report shows injection drug use has remained the leading cause of transmission since 2019, but frontline workers say the rise is not only linked to drug use.

“Things have really changed, we’ve seen people with full blown aids, we had someone in our shelter die of full blown aids so this is very serious,” said Willis.

Willis said that while the health system has been responsive, praising the Health Minister’s approach, shelters are now seeing more people with HIV and even full-blown AIDS. She is calling the situation a growing epidemic.

“The demographical phase has changed, geographically were challenges exist it has become so complex now and we wont solve it within any province on its own we need a national strategy,” Willis said.

“The data in the report is very concerning and is very troubling and we know that in addition to the steps we already taken there is more work that needs to be done,” said Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara.

Asagwara acknowledged the rising trend and pointed to steps taken by the province, including free PrEP and PEP, expanded mobile outreach, and early work on a provincial HIV strategy.

“Two years now the NDP have been in government and 2 years we’ve been calling on them for a needle recovery program, for needle exchange, for how they are going to proceed down this path and what they are going to do about it,” said Official Opposition Leader Obby Khan.

A separate report released this week by the Manitoba HIV Program includes modelling that estimates infections could surpass 1,000 cases per year by 2028 without stronger prevention, testing, and community-based monitoring.