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Mutant strains of HIV circulating in Saskatchewan are leading to AIDS-related illnesses that are growing faster among the Aboriginal population, according to a new study.
The Center for Excellence on HIV / AIDS and Simon Fraser University were presented at the 2018 AIDS Conference in Amsterdam on Thursday. He showed that HIV strains in Saskatchewan had high levels of immunoresistant mutations compared to other parts of Canada and the United States. [Traduction] "The doctors said," Something is going wrong, "Zabrina Brumme, the senior author of the study and badociate professor of health sciences at Simon University Fraser
"It's almost as if the virus was more naughty. "
HIV incidence rates in Saskatchewan are among the highest in North America, with 2016 rates in some regions more than 10 times higher than the national average." Nearly 80% of people living in with HIV in the province are Aboriginal.
The researchers hypothesized that the rapidly developing diseases were linked to resistant strains that had adapted to the specific immune profile of Aboriginal populations. 19659002] Darryl Caldwell, Saulteaux A man and a member of the Cote First Nation contracted HIV in 2011. Shortly after his diagnoses, he became an advocate for the education of First Nations communities [19659002"WhenIdiscoveredititwbadurrealwhoiscoming?NowIseethisasablessing-I'vehadHIV-becauseithasmademerealizehowpreciouslifeisandhasmademeawareoftheneedtoworktogethertopreventHIVbecauseit's100%preventableusingcondomsandharmreductionservicesouttherelikeneedleexchange"saysCaldwell
Darryl Caldwell is an advocate of education and prevention. He was diagnosed with HIV in 2011 and emphasizes the importance of antiretroviral therapy for those diagnosed. (Penny Smoke / CBC)
"As soon as I was diagnosed, I was on antiretroviral therapy. so my HIV burden is undetectable, that's why it's important that people be educated and tested because a lot of people are dying on the reserves now because they have not had access to the tests . "[19659002] Aboriginals make up 16% of the population of Saskatchewan
" In Saskatchewan, as in other parts of the world, HIV adapts to the host populations in which it travels. " said Mr. Brumme, the majority of people affected by HIV are of Aboriginal ancestry, so HIV has adapted to these populations. "
The multi-year badysis compared more than 2,300 HIV sequences from Saskatchewan with sets elsewhere in Canada and the United States
A key mutation
Th They observed 70 mutations, but a key mutation was found in more than 80% HIV strains in the province, compared to only about 25% of HIV strains found elsewhere in North America.
More than 98% of strains HIV sequences collected in Saskatchewan had at least one major system-resistant mutation Immunity Researchers They said this meant that strains with similar mutations were frequently and widely transmitted.
Jeff Joy, researcher at B.C. Although the results are disturbing, the current treatment still works on immunodeficient strains.
Access to testing is essential
He said that it is essential to expand access to HIV testing. and treatment in Saskatchewan because antiretrovirals not only decrease a person's symptoms, but can also stop the spread of mutant strains of HIV
"The strains that carry the mutations will slowly disappear because they will not be pbaded on to other individuals ". The researchers said they plan to meet with Saskatchewan communities and doctors to help disseminate the results and encourage further testing.
The Saskatchewan government has announced an additional $ 600,000 in the 2018-2019 budget for anti-HIV drugs. ]
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