The 2015 Stop HIV progress report has been issued by Northern Health.
Services Navigator, Sam Milligan says some provincial and northern rates differ greatly.
“We know that provincially 12 percent of HIV is injected through drug use, we know in northern health it’s about 37 percent, we know that provincially 25 percent of HIV transmissions is transported through heterosexual transmission, in the north we know it’s about 40 percent.”
There’s been a 39 percent spike in testing for the north over the past five years.
HIV related deaths dropped from 13 in 2009 to 5 in 2014 due to major advancements in treatment.
Most people with the virus only have to take one pill one to three times with a lot less side effects and stand a greater chance of living a normal lifespan.