Canada expanding funding for HIV screening, including $8M for self-testing kits

Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Ducloson Monday announced nearly $18 million to expand HIV testing in Canada, with a substantial portion of the funding going toward self-administered kits.

Of the $17.9 million, $8 million will go toward purchasing HIV self-testing kits and distributing them to community organizations, Duclossaid at the24th International AIDS Conferencein Montreal.

The other $9.9 million will go to theNational Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipegforexpansionof HIV testing innorthern, remoteor isolated (NRI) communities.

"HIV self-test kits offer a safe, reliableand confidential way for people to screen for HIV infection while significantly reducing the barriers to seeking care often created by stigma and discrimination," a government news release reads.

Health Canada approved the first HIV self-test in late 2020. It'sa one-minute, finger-prick blood test from Richmond, B.C.,companybioLytical Laboratories Inc.

Duclos said the government is looking to apply lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to HIV/AIDS.

"We know that HIV is preventable, yet the rateof HIV infections remains highin Canadaand in other countries.Providing individuals with access to testing, treatment and care can help reverse this trend.

"Removing barrier is the key to ending the AIDS pandemic."

Ottawa urged to upspending on HIV-AIDS

In October 2020, the federal government beganproviding rapid tests to provinces and territories for free.For many Canadians, rapid antigen tests were replacing wide-scalepolymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, as fewer people became eligible for them because ofhigh demand during the Omicron wave.

In June, CBC learned thatOttawa is moving towardending distribution of COVID-19 rapid tests to the provinces and territories by the end of the year.

The governmentestimatesthere are nearly 63,000 people living with HIV in Canada, and 1 in 10 of those aren't aware they have the virus.

Prior to the conference in Montreal, a coalition of HIV/AIDS organizationscalled on the government to boost annual federal spending on HIV/AIDS from $73 million to $100 million.

NDP health critic Don Davies called out the government for not providing the funding the coalition asked for. He also accused the government of acting too slowly to provide visas to some experts who were unable to attend the conference.

"The absurd length of time taken by Canadian immigration authorities to make decisions for a conference called well in advance is incompetent at best, and disgraceful at worst.," Davies said in a statement.

The government pledged $15 million last week tothe Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The five-day 2022 AIDS conference ends Tuesday.