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Preventing STIs An STI is caused when a bacteria, virus, or parasite is passed from one person to another during sexual contact. Some kinds of sex have a lower chance of passing STIs. For example, the chance of passing an STI is much less...

If you have one of these STIs, you may be wondering about how this will affect your sex life. Some common concerns include how to manage symptoms and how to talk to partners. Some people feel sad, angry, fearful or uncertain about what...

In most cases, PEP stops HIV from establishing itself in the body and will prevent you from becoming HIV positive. To be effective, the treatment needs to be started as soon as possible in the first 72 hours after exposure. The treatment...

Window periods are based on averages or statistics from studies. Different HIV tests have different window periods. As HIV testing technology improves, window periods may become more specific or even get shorter. HIV tests used in British...

What is anonymous HIV testing? In British Columbia, there are a number of ways that you can get an HIV test.  With anonymous HIV testing your name is not attached to your result and your contact information is never collected. You are...

During this time, there are very high levels of HIV in the body. This is known as a high viral load. When a person has a high viral load, they can easily pass HIV to others. Causes When a person gets HIV, the virus makes copies called CD4...

The goal of HIV treatment is to reach an “undetectable” viral load. This means that HIV is suppressed to such a low level that the viral load test is not able to detect any virus in the blood. “Undetectable” does not mean that there is no...

The INSTI test kit is the only rapid HIV test that is licenced for use in Canada. The test uses a few drops of blood, which are taken from a finger poke. People who test negative will know their result within a few minutes. If the test is...

PrEP is different from PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), as PrEP is taken before exposure to HIV and may be taken on a long-term basis. How does it work? PrEP usually comes as a combination tablet that contains two medications called...

Causes HIV is passed through vaginal and anal sexual contact.  This includes both penetrative sex and sexual activities where there is an exchange of body fluids.  There is a very low chance that HIV may be passed through oral...

HAART prevents the HIV virus from making copies of itself and limits how much virus is in the body. The level of virus in the blood is called ‘viral load’. When the viral load is low or “undetectable”, there is less harm to the body’s...

Background Populations with a higher prevalence of HIV infection, such as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (MSM) or people who use injection drugs (IDU), are often recommended to get an HIV test at least once a year.  Many...

“I guess if I had one recommendation to improve the program, it would be to say that it was too short.” – Gay Poz Sex participant Last November, Positive Living BC launched its new eight-week Gay Poz Sex (GPS) program as a randomized...

Background Since 2009, BCCDC has been using a more sensitive HIV test (known as the NAAT - nucleic acid amplification test) for patients who present for HIV testing at several clinics in downtown Vancouver.   These clinics - the BCCDC...

What is the HIV Care Registry? Connecting with care can feel good and can sustain health. Positive Living BC’s HIV Care Registry is an online database designed to help people living with HIV (PLHIV) in BC find the care providers they need...

Background In 2013, the BCCDC published results of a pilot study [1] which confirmed the value of pooled nucleic acid testing (PNAT) to identify acute HIV infections in a high risk population of men who have sex with men. PNAT increased...

What is Mpowerment? Mpowerment YVR is an HIV leadership and community-building program designed by and for young self-identified men who are gay, bisexual, or queer. This program provides ongoing opportunities for participants to connect...

What’s Online Connec+? Positive Living BC recently launched Online Connec+, a new online video peer support group for people living with HIV (PLHIV) in BC. For PLHIV, feeling isolated is common due to the stigma surrounding the virus, so...

HIV In 2014, the rate of new HIV diagnoses in British Columbia was 5.6 (261 cases) per 100,000 population, a slight decrease from 5.8 (267 cases) in 2013. Demographic groups The highest rates of new HIV diagnoses were in Vancouver...

Testing for HIV can create anxiety for many individuals, especially those who want to know as soon as possible whether or not they are HIV positive. There are a variety of tests that are used to detect HIV; some test for antibodies...