Backgrounder: Investments in Reducing Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections 

July 2019

The Government of Canada’s Five-Year Action Plan on Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections outlines seven priority areas for action:

• Moving toward truth and reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples
• Stigma and discrimination
• Community innovation
• Reaching the undiagnosed
• Provide prevention, treatment and care to populations that receive health services or coverage of health care benefits from the federal government
• Leveraging existing knowledge and targeting future research
• Measuring impact - monitoring and reporting on trends and results

The Government of Canada is also investing in four initiatives that support the priorities of the Action Plan:

1. Harm Reduction Fund

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Harm Reduction Fund invests $30 million over five years to support projects across Canada that will help reduce HIV and hepatitis C among people who share injection and inhalation drug-use equipment, such as needles and pipes.

Today’s announcement includes $7.7 million in funding over two years for 29 projects aimed at reducing HIV and hepatitis C infections, and stigma and discrimination among individuals who share drug-use equipment.

2. Innovative Diagnostics Program

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s newly established Innovative Diagnostics Program at the National Microbiology Laboratory will receive $5 million over five years to develop and transfer novel testing technologies, and bring them directly to remote, rural and northern communities. Bringing tests directly to people in these communities will help increase access to testing for infections that are often still highly stigmatized.

3. Biomedical and Clinical HIV/AIDS Research Team Grant

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Biomedical and Clinical HIV/AIDS Research Team Grant will provide $19.9 million over five years to researchers for six projects across the country to develop effective prevention strategies, treatment and care to improve the health of Canadians affected by STBBI. Studies will explore issues such as identifying gaps in testing and evaluating new combinations of anti-retroviral medications, and finding new approaches to eliminate persistent HIV infection.

4. Centres for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and other STBBI Population Health and Health Services Research

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is investing $12.5 million over five years in three Centres for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and other STBBI Population Health and Health Services Research. The Centres will improve health and access to effective programs and services for people living with and at risk of STBBI, particularly for the populations that are the most affected.