THUNDER BAY -- As many as 14 per cent of people living with HIV don't know their status. For hepatitis C, the number jumps to 20 per cent.
On Thursday, local health officials set out to lower those numbers, setting up shop at Victoriaville Mall to provide the public with relevant information as part of National Testing Day, with Elevate NWO teaming up with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit to raise awareness about the availability and ease of being tested for blood-borne diseases.
“Testing today is done through a blood drop. Elevate NWO can do rapid testing for Hepatitis C, and based on the result, whether it’s reactive or non-reactive then there may be further tests,” Robin Cooper, health promotion planner at Thunder Bay District Health Unit said.
“We want people to know where they can get tested and decrease some of the stigma around it,” Cooper said. “It’s very important people know what puts them at risk and what puts them at risk.”
Earlier this week, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit declared an HIV outbreak in the city's homeless and under-housed population. The health unit said the general population is not considered to be at increased risk.
Cooper said Thursday’s event was not at all related to the outbreak, but the health unit’s declaration served the same purpose of the event in raising awareness of the importance of testing.
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that is spread through blood-to-blood contact, which can cause severe liver damage. It can be cured within 12 weeks.
There is no cure for HIV. The virus attacks the body's cells that fight infection, leaving a person afflicted with HIV more susceptible to other infections and diseases.
However, Schweitz says modern treatment is effective and people can live long, healthy lifestyles with the virus.
“It is completely manageable and treatable,” Schweitz said.
“If they don’t get tested today we want to link them to other places where they can get tested. Either at their own health-care provider or through the Thunder Bay District Health Unit,” Cooper said.
Through the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, a website, HepNet, is now available for people to visit and learn more information on Hepatitis C and the resources available in the community.
