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By Nicole Reis

HIV outbreak stabilizing

Regional HIV outbreak progressively normalizing

Jan 15, 2020 | 5:04 PM

Health professionals in the area say fewer patients are being diagnosed with HIV after an outbreak was declared late last year.

Dr. Mandiangu Nsungu, medical health officer with Saskatchewan Health Authority, told meadowlakeNOW the last new case was reported in October 2019.

“We declared an outbreak of HIV in the Battlefords area and that is mainly among people who inject drugs,” Nsungu said. “We are addressing the outbreak and I’m happy to say from the indication we have right now, the situation is progressively coming back to normal.”

Nsungu said HIV is a preventable and treatable disease and everyone should know their status by getting tested regularly.

Treatment of the virus helps reduce the transmission to others and those who are affected can have a normal life expectancy.

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“If you have HIV, you can live a certain number of years without showing signs,” he said.

Statistics show nearly 26 per cent of people infected with HIV do not even know that they have it.

“The most important thing is to get tested,” the health officer said. “HIV is everywhere, that is why people need to take precaution.”

Dr. Nsungu suggests taking precautions such as limiting number sexual partners, not sharing injection or drug-use equipment, using condoms and getting regular STI checks.

The Battlefords area saw 24 HIV cases since January 2019 — an abnormal number for the area.

Meadow Lake had a smaller number of cases reported though according to a public health nurse at the hospital, those cases are being managed.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722