HIV/AIDS 'ANYBODY'S DISEASE'

AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan is seeing a new trend emerging in the
clientele accessing its services -- professional people.

"It is not just your cohort of people who are injection-drug users who
are showing up but we are starting to see professional people who are
becoming infected with this disease," said Christine Smith, executive
director of the agency that provides education and support services to
people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

"We don't know the mode of transmission but it highlights the fact
that HIV/AIDS is 'anybody's disease.' "

It affects men and women, young and old, intravenous drug users, gay
men, and people involved in risky sexual behaviour, she said.

In Saskatchewan last year, there were 226 reported cases of AIDS and
591 individuals were tested for the virus with 82 testing positive for
HIV.

The high number of people being tested reflects a prevention
initiative launched last year by AIDS service agencies that promoted
enhanced testing.

"We know that the sooner a person is tested and treated for HIV it
reduces their viral load so we have been encouraging people to get
tested and access the various treatment options that are available,"
she said.

This year marks Canada's 17th HIV/AIDS Awareness Week, but as the
health system gets better at treating people with HIV/AIDS and their
life expectancy increases so does public complacency when it comes to
practising safe sex.

Although gay men continue to make up the largest number of positive
HIV test reports in 2006, at 39.6 per cent of new reports according to
the Canadian AIDS Society, transmission through heterosexual contact
accounts for just under one third of new cases.

This year, newly reported cases among women reached an all-time high
in Canada, accounting for 27.7 per cent of test reports.

Reports among people who use injection drugs has remained stable at
19.3 per cent, while aboriginals and people from countries where HIV
is endemic remain disproportionately affected, the society said in a
news release.

Smith said in Regina the largest proportion of people infected with
HIV/AIDS are intravenous drug users and the city is starting to see a
lot of young women using injection drugs.

While the needle exchange program, which distributed 1.8 million
needles last year, has helped to keep the HIV infection low, more
needs to be done to address the underlying problem, Smith said.

"We have to find some way to address the addictions issue and why
people are using intravenous drugs," she said, explaining not only
are people at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS through shared needles but
are at an even high risk of being infected with hepatitis C.