HIV is still a thing. What does that mean for you?
There are about 23,000 people in Ontario living with HIV, and hundreds of new diagnoses each year.
To prevent new infections and ensure people with HIV receive treatment, it’s important for us to understand the latest.
How can we prevent HIV?
Should I be tested for HIV?
How is HIV treated?
What is life like with HIV?
Scroll to learn more Is HIV really still a thing?
Yes it is. Hundreds of people are diagnosed with HIV in Ontario each year.
There are approximately 23,000 people living with HIV in communities across the province. And because there can be no symptoms for years, more than 2,500 may not know they have HIV.
But so much progress has been made. New infections can be prevented, and HIV treatments can be as simple as one pill a day or a long-acting injection.
How does HIV spread?
People get HIV from having sex or sharing drug equipment with someone who has HIV without using effective prevention methods such as condoms, PrEP medication, or HIV treatment.
You can’t get HIV from kissing or body contact. Oral sex is low risk.
But knowing your HIV status is key. When HIV is diagnosed early and treated effectively, a person can expect to live a long and healthy life, and have sexual relationships and children without fear of passing on the virus.
Who is most at risk?
Some communities have been more affected by HIV than others, including the following:
- Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, including cis and trans men
- People who inject drugs
- African, Caribbean, and Black people
- Indigenous people
- Cis and trans women whose sexual or drug using partners are members of these populations
But HIV can affect anyone. Not everyone in these communities is more likely to get HIV, and HIV can also affect people who are not part of these communities.