Manitoba declares public health emergency

Manitoba has declared a public health emergency over HIV, noting the province’s cases are significantly above the national average. Jeff Keele reports.

Manitoba is declaring a public health emergency over HIV infection rates.

Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief provincial public health officer, made the declaration during a news conference Thursday morning.

“Manitoba continues to experience some of the highest rates of HIV in Canada,” he said.

Roussin said in 2024, the province had an infection rate of 19.5 cases per 100,000 people, roughly 3.5 times the national HIV infection rate of 5.5 cases per 100,000 people.

Last year, 328 new HIV cases were reported in Manitoba. Roussin noted there were 142 cases in 2021.

“This is significant; it’s concerning,” he said. “It requires a coordinated action between governments, communities and health systems.”

Roussin said injection drug use, homelessness, mental-health issues, along with a rise in other sexually transmitted or blood-borne infections, are fuelling the rising cases, as well as “various barriers in access to care.”

The Northern and Prairie Mountain Health regions tend to see the highest rates, Roussin said, but the highest number of cases are in Winnipeg. He said Indigenous people are disproportionally affected.

“These are really complex issues,” he said. “These require much more than simply a public health response. We are collaborating with Indigenous leadership, community organizations, federal partners to address the conditions driving HIV transmission.

“We want to increase awareness, increase access to prevention, testing, treatment and harm reduction.”

Roussin said Manitoba has spent $8 million on HIV treatment and prevention, including increasing access to medication, in the past four years.

“We know that early diagnosis and treatment saves lives,” he said.

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