OUTREACH KEY TO FIGHT

Prevention and education programs have been successful in reducing
HIV infection rates in high-risk populations, but Canada hasn't done
enough to address the problem among aboriginal youth, according to Jan Tatlock.

Tatlock is one of four members of the Northern Aboriginal HIV Task
Force who attended the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto,
Aug. 13-18. She is also the manager of public health at Carrier
Sekani Family Services.

"There is a lot of work being done in prevention programs. The
research is in, we know they work," Tatlock said. "[But] there is
still a lack of political will and a lack of funding."

Canada's HIV infection rate was 0.33 per cent in 1998, according to a
United Nations study. That rate was less than half the 0.76 per cent
infection rate in the U.S., and much lower than many African nations
which have infection rates of five to 30 per cent.

However, certain portions of the Canadian population have much higher
rates of infection.

"The highest number of HIV/AIDS infection is in the aboriginal
community -- especially youth 14-24," Tatlock said.

HIV infection rates among aboriginal youth has been linked to use of
intravenous drugs such as heroin and cocaine, she added.

An ongoing study of 235 aboriginal intravenous drug users in Prince
George found seven per cent were infected with HIV and 62 per cent
had hepatitis C. In Vancouver, the study looked at 277 aboriginal
intravenous drug users and found 17 per cent had HIV and 57 per cent
had hepatitis C.

Unlike other parts of the world, Canadian aboriginal HIV victims
frequently are infected with HIV as a co-infection with hepatitis C
and tuberculosis, she said.

"Fast on the heels of [hepatitis C], HIV follows. Folks with
[hepatitis C] and HIV tend to die of [hepatitis] before succumbing to
HIV," Tatlock said.

It is very difficult to tell exactly how many people are infected
with HIV, she said, because of the stigma associated with it. In
addition, many young aboriginal drug users are transient and are
constantly moving into and out of the community, she said.

The task force has been looking for alternative solutions to reach
out to the transient drug user population, Tatlock said.

"We will have to hit the streets," she said. "We've purchased an
outreach van. We need to have a mobile unit which can go where people live."

The outreach van would become a mobile needle exchange centre and
offer information on health services and counselling, Tatlock said.

"We would be able to build that trust with people," she said. "Once
they develop that rapport or trust, they are more likely to seek help."

Of the 235 aboriginal drug users surveyed in the study, 22 per cent
said they had a difficult time getting clean needles, Tatlock added,
while only 8 per cent in Vancouver had the same problem.

However, finding government support for the outreach van has been a
slow process.

Attending the AIDS conference in Toronto will help the task force
continue to champion HIV prevention programs in the North, she said.

"The most important thing for me is there is a lot of prevention
programs out there... and we've seen that they have worked," Tatlock
said. "It tells us we're on the right path. That, to me, is very
valuable. Hopefully we can use that information to convince others to
support our project."