World AIDS Day is observed annually on Dec. 1 to raise awareness about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reminding everyone that testing for HIV is important for protecting your health. This is because the Ontario Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS reports that 11 percent of people living with HIV don’t know they have it. This means they will miss out on effective HIV treatment which protects their health, and they might unknowingly spread the virus to others.
HIV is a sexually transmitted blood-borne infection (STBBI) that spreads through sex and by sharing needles or other injection drug equipment. It can also pass from person to person through the sharing of needles or ink for tattooing, sharing acupuncture needles or from mom to baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.
Modern HIV treatments can reduce the amount of virus to undetectable levels, making it impossible to transmit to sexual partners — a concept known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U). For those who don’t have HIV and are at higher risk of being infected with HIV, taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication is a proven way to lower their risk of contracting HIV.
As part of World AIDS Day observances, the health unit will be at two events hosted by the Gilbert Centre to offer free anonymous rapid HIV testing and answer sexual health questions. Nurses will be onsite to offer testing on:
- Sunday, Dec. 1 – 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Afternoon Drag Tea at the Maclaren Art Centre, 37 Mulcaster St. in Barrie
- Monday, Dec. 2 – 7 to 9 p.m.
Day With Art at Creative Nomad Studios, 23 Mississauga St. W. in Orillia
Free HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) testing is available through a health care provider’s office, walk-in clinics and community health centres with an Ontario Health Card. Free testing is also available to everyone, including those without a health card, at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s (SMDHU) sexual health clinics in Barrie, Midland, Orillia, Collingwood, Elmvale, Gravenhurst and Huntsville. All services are confidential. You can also receive free home-delivered HIV self-testing through the Gilbert Centre’s Get a Kit program.
Knowing if you have HIV and whether your sexual partner(s) have it is your right and will help you make more informed decisions. You can reduce your risk of HIV infection by having open communication with sexual partners about whether they are HIV-positive and getting tested if you are sexually active, particularly when you have new partners. Using barriers such as condoms or dental dams when engaging in penetrative or oral sex can also reduce your risk of getting HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood borne infections.
Book an appointment online or visit smdhu.org/TheClinic to learn more about our services. You can also call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or toll free 1-877-721-7520, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.