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Routine HIV testing is expected to be offered at Vernon Jubilee Hospital soon.
“The roll out of this initiative at VJH is in process right now,” said Lesley Coates, an Interior Health spokesperson.
The health body announced Tuesday that patients would be offered an HIV test when receiving blood work in IH hospitals.
To date, seven Interior Health emergency departments have started offering an HIV test routinely with other hospitals, such as VJH, expected to be on board within months.
“B.C. is recognized as a global leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “While innovation and hard work has produced a consistent decline in new HIV diagnoses, people still need to be aware of their HIV status.”
“Diagnosing HIV infection early and providing treatment reduces the likelihood of HIV transmission and improves the health of patients.”
The expanded testing is a part of the provincial Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS (STOP HIV/AIDS) program.
“Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the number of new HIV infections in our region,” said Dr. Trevor Corneil, Chief Medical Health Officer with Interior Health. “Treatments available today can suppress HIV to undetectable levels and that greatly reduces the likelihood of transmitting the virus to others.”
Research has shown an early diagnosis in combination with anti-HIV medicines, called antiretroviral therapy, means people living with HIV can expect to live as long as those without HIV.
In the Interior Health region, 65 per cent of people diagnosed with HIV are diagnosed long after becoming infected. As a result, their immune systems can already be quite damaged, making full recovery more difficult, according to IH data.
Patients at IH hospitals will be offered an HIV test whenever other blood tests are ordered. As with all medical tests, the patient has the right to decline or refuse the test and only those patients able to make a decision on their own will be offered a test.
Patients who test positive for HIV will be offered support and referred to appropriate care and treatment services.
