HIV/AIDS Communiqué - Volume 2 Number 2 - Spring 2003

Table of Content

1. Communications
HIV/AIDS Awareness Survey
National HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign Update
Canadian Youth Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study

2. Planning and Evaluation
Five-Year Review of the Federal Role in the CSHA Update
Unlocking our Futures

3. Events
National HIV/AIDS/STI Surveillance Meeting
Sharing Our Stories
National Workshop on HIV Drug Resistance
Canadian HIV/AIDS Skills Building Symposium

4. Funding
National HIV/AIDS Demonstration Fund
Non-Reserve First Nations, Inuit and Métis HIV/AIDS Project Fund
Call for Review Committee Nominees
Community-Based Research Program Transfer

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1 Communications

HIV/AIDS Awareness Survey

Have you ever wondered what the general public knows about HIV/AIDS, what their risk perceptions are, what their sexual behaviour is, what their level of tolerance is towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PHA)? To find answers to those questions and more, Health Canada commissioned Ekos Research Associates to conduct an HIV/AIDS awareness survey by telephone with over 2000 Canadians across the country. Survey results show that Canadians are fairly knowledgeable about how the virus is transmitted and are able to identify unsafe sexual practices and sharing needles as key modes of transmission.

In the Ekos HIV/AIDS awareness survey, most Canadians (over 70%) are either somewhat or very comfortable working in an office where a coworker has developed HIV. A similar proportion would feel the same shopping at a neighbourhood grocery store if they found out the owner had HIV/AIDS. But that still leaves about three in ten Canadians that exhibit less tolerance or acceptance when rating direct contact with people who have HIV/AIDS.

To further gauge tolerance levels toward PHA, the surveyors asked whether PHA should be allowed to serve the public. A significant portion of the population does not believe that PHA should be allowed to serve the public in certain occupations. While two thirds (67%) agree that PHA should be allowed to serve the public in positions like hairstylists, fewer than four in ten (38%) believe they should be allowed to serve the public in positions like dentists and cooks.

Here some additional preliminary findings:

• While 95% consider themselves moderately knowledgeable or knowledgeable, only 61% agreed with the statement: AIDS is always fatal.
• Other than for insurance or blood donation, 72% have never been tested for HIV. Most who have been tested have been tested in a doctor's office (63%).
• A full 90% of respondents feel they are at a low risk of contracting HIV. When asked about whether they had engaged in safer sex in the past 12 months, 48% of respondents said "never" and listed having "one partner" as the primary reason.

Once the final report is completed, we will make the executive summary available on our web site and copies will be available at the National Library of Canada. For more information, please contact Shannon Brunton Stephens at 957-7736 or by e-mail at shannon_brunton_stephens@hc-sc.gc.ca.

National HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign Update

Over the past seven months, the National Steering Committee on HIV/AIDS Awareness has been working to guide the development the National HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign. After establishing the Campaign's core goal to "put HIV/AIDS back on the map", the Committee has adopted a strategic framework for the three year, $1.35 million campaign consisting of three components: Communications, Health Canada Social Marketing, and Community Social Marketing.

The Communications Component will strengthen Health Canada's HIV/AIDS communications efforts. Building on data from the recently completed public opinion survey (see above), Health Canada will be launching a series of communication activities to achieve the plan's key objectives including:

• To increase media coverage of domestic HIV/AIDS issues throughout the year.
  
• To create two new media peaks in the spring and fall (in addition to AIDS Awareness Week and World AIDS Day ).

The Health Canada Social Marketing Component will be defined by the awareness committee later this spring to identify the target and theme for this potential national campaign. Following this, we will be developing a multi-year approach to HC's national social marketing efforts that will deliver targeted HIV/AIDS messages to a defined audiences via a number of potential vehicles including advertising (e.g. TV, print, web), public relations and web-based communication.

The Community Social Marketing Component will result in national community-led social marketing campaigns. A call for proposals for the Community Social Marketing Component is currently in development and will be released in May. The call will be posted on Health Canada's HIV/AIDS web site (www.aidsida.com). For more information please contact Neil Burke at (613) 941-1313 or by e-mail at Neil_Burke@hc-sc.gc.ca.

Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study

The Canadian Youth, Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Study (CYSHHAS) is a national study on youth sexual health and HIV/AIDS conducted by a consortium of four universities in cooperation with the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, and Health Canada. It is designed to determine the factors that influence youth sexual health, with regards to HIV/AIDS prevention risk behaviours.

The main objectives of the study are:

• To describe the relationships among determinants of health, adolescent sexuality, and the sexual health status of youth. These determinants include elements of income/social status, social support, social environment, culture, health services, health practices/coping skills, gender and sexual orientation.
  
• To compare descriptive analyses of selected aspects of adolescent sexual health, especially in relation to HIV/AIDS prevention, with the Canadian Youth and AIDS Study data published in 1988.
  
• To provide national data that can inform policy, program development, and professional practice.

The report will be available around the end of May 2003. For more information please contact Kheng Tan at (613) 954-5157 or by e-mail at kheng_tan@hc-sc.gc.ca

2. Planning and Evaluation

Five Year Review of the Federal Role in the CSHA Update

The Five Year Review will fulfill a commitment to report on the accomplishments and shortcomings of the CSHA (1998-2003), clarify federal priorities for the next five years, and make recommendations on the resources necessary to achieve solid outcomes from the federal investment. The Five Year Review builds on previous CSHA activities and will include appropriate federal objectives from the CSHA's national strategic plan.

The review is being conducted in three phases:
Phase One - a report which identifies accomplishments, lessons learned, gaps, and proposes a federal role and realms of activity for the next five years (complete)
Phase Two - a consultation to verify the information presented in the Phase One report, and to clarify future federal directions and priorities (completed by end of April 2003)
Phase Three - a report on funding options (allocations and levels), and a final report drawing together all the information gathered and making recommendations (completed by end of June 2003)

This project is on track; Phase Two is nearing completion. For more information please contact Marsha Hay Snyder by e-mail at Marsha_Hay-Snyder@hc-sc.gc.ca

Unlocking our Futures: A National Study on Women, Prisons, HIV and Hepatitis C

Unlocking Our Futures is a qualitative study investigating the perceptions and lived experiences of federally incarcerated women regarding HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C recently completed by the Prisoners' HIV/AIDS Support Action Network (PASAN). The study documents the specific needs of federal women prisoners' regarding HIV/HCV prevention, care, treatment and support and explores the current response of both correctional and community services. The full report is available on PASAN's website at http://www.pasan.org/Publications/Unlocking_Our_Futures.pdf.

3. Events

National HIV/AIDS/STI Surveillance Meeting

Delegates from across Canada recently participated in a National HIV/AIDS/STI Surveillance Meeting held in Victoria, British Columbia from March 20 to 22, 2003. The meeting brought together federal and provincial/territorial counterparts who are responsible for HIV/AIDS/STI data collection, management and analysis. There were also members of the community and other partners in disease surveillance, as well as users of surveillance data who guide policy and programming.

This meeting had three objectives: to discuss priority data needs to improve the monitoring of HIV, AIDS and STI; to share new initiatives and updates on key activities at both national and regional levels; and to determine national goals and priority activities for 2003. Specific goals include: to assist in the direction of work and provide and opportunity to share ideas and concerns, to exchange information and set directions for HIV/AIDS/STI surveillance across Canada and, of course, to facilitate networking opportunities amongst participants.

This meeting has helped Health Canada identify the next steps in this important area. A report of the meeting proceedings will soon be made available. For more information, please contact Once the final report is completed, we will make the executive summary available on our Web site, and the survey will be available through the National Library of Canada. For more information, please contact Shannon Brunton Stephens at 957-7736 or by e-mail at shannon_brunton_stephens@hc-sc.gc.ca.

Sharing Our Stories

Coordinators from 17 projects that receive funding from the Non-Reserve First Nations, Inuit and Métis Communities HIV/AIDS Project Fund were recently brought together for a two day meeting in Chilliwack, BC (14 project staff attended). Project Coordinators and one additional project personnel travelled from locations as varied as Goose Bay-Happy Valley Labrador, Brandon Manitoba to Edmonton Alberta and Lillooet British Columbia.

The meeting was entitled Sharing Our Stories and, as the name implies, its purpose was to give project personnel an opportunity to network and to share their stories on the progress, challenges and successes of their individual HIV/AIDS projects. The meeting was a great success and showcased the diversity and high quality of the projects and also allowed project organizers to strategize on the common challenges they face doing HIV/AIDS work in non-reserve Aboriginal communities.

Each day of the two day meeting was opened and closed by an elder of the Stó:lõ Nation (on whose traditional land Chilliwack is situated) who shared with us their welcome and their appreciation for the important work being done.

The Fund is an important program of the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS. Each year, $1.2 million in project funding is provided to Aboriginal organizations across Canada to engage in HIV/AIDS work in non-reserve settings. The fund allows projects to: carry out HIV/AIDS work that builds on existing work being done in communities, enhance partnerships and sustainability and to make HIV/AIDS a part of the work done by existing Aboriginal services and agencies. The fund has contributed to a total of 35 HIV/AIDS projects since its inception in 2000. For more information, please contact shane_rhodes@hc-sc.gc.ca

National Workshop on HIV Drug Resistance Surveillance

HIV drug resistance is an emerging issue both for epidemiological surveillance and clinical care. It is a potential outcome when antiretroviral drugs are used to treat HIV/AIDS.

The National Workshop on HIV Drug Resistance Surveillance, organized by the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of Health Canada, was held on March 3, 2003 in Ottawa. The workshop brought together community members, laboratory scientists, epidemiologists, clinicians, and policy makers from across Canada to discuss primary drug resistance surveillance and its public health and clinical implications. International guests also brought their perspectives to the discussions.

While the ground is constantly shifting as the knowledge about the basic science, epidemiology, and management of HIV drug resistance emerges, all participants agreed that the workshop was very useful in bringing together different realities and enhancing the current understanding of the evolution of HIV drug resistance and its relation to other aspects of the epidemic.

Health Canada will continue to work with national colleagues in developing its HIV drug resistance surveillance program and in enhancing the dissemination of collected data and the development of appropriate responses. It will also collaborate internationally with other emerging drug resistance surveillance efforts. The latest HIV strain and drug resistance surveillance report will be available in April 2003 and the workshop proceedings will be available by May 2003. For more information, please contact Gayatri_Jayaraman@hc-sc.gc.ca

Canadian HIV/AIDS Skills Building Symposium

The 4th Canadian HIV/AIDS Skills Building Symposium will be held in Calgary, Alberta, on November 20-23, 2003. For more information, don't hesitate to visit the Canadian AIDS Society web site at www.cdnaids.ca .

4. Funding

National HIV/AIDS Demonstration Fund

The purpose of the National HIV/AIDS Demonstration Fund is to support projects that will contribute to evidence-based HIV/AIDS programming by supporting the development, implementation, rigorous evaluation and dissemination of knowledge gained through selected demonstration projects. The aim of the Fund is to develop and document "what works with specific populations and how" to prevent HIV/AIDS and support access to care , treatment and support for those living with HIV/AIDS. Look for a call for letters of intent for applications in the coming months.

Non-Reserve First Nations, Inuit and Métis HIV/AIDS Project Fund

A request for proposals to the Non-Reserve First Nations, Inuit and Métis HIV/AIDS Project Fund for 2004-2006 will be released in the next few months. The Non-Reserve First Nations, Inuit and Métis Project Fund provides funding for time-limited projects that will enhance the capacity of non-reserve Aboriginal communities to address HIV/AIDS, enhance sustainability and encourage integration of HIV/AIDS work into non-reserve Aboriginal communities, agencies and organizations. The fund has an annual budget of $1.2 million per fiscal year. This request for proposals will be for projects starting April 1, 2004 and ending by or before March 31, 2006.

Call for Review Committee Nominees

The HIV/AIDS Policy, Coordination and Programs Division (HIV/AIDS Division), Health Canada, is seeking nominations for qualified individuals to participate in the process of reviewing proposals for funding under the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS (CSHA).

Review committees consisting of reviewers with experience/expertise related to HIV/AIDS and/or the specific nature of the RFP are central to the proposal review, selection and apporval processes. The mandate of review committees is to review project proposals based on established review criteria identified in the RFP and to provide funding recommendations to the HIV/AIDS Division.

If you are interested in submitting your name for consideration as a reviewer for upcoming proposal review committees, please visit www.aidsida.com and click the subject heading "Call for Review Committee Nominees" for more information.

Community-Based Research Program Transfer

In April 2001, the HIV/AIDS Division established the Community-Based Research Program (CBR) Transition Team to administer all of the CBR Program activities until a new administrative structure, outside of Health Canada, is identified.

The transfer process of the CBR Program is now well underway. Building on recommendations from the CBR Program Steering Committee, and consultations with the the National Aboriginal Council on HIV/AIDS (NACHA), discussion are being held with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to negotiate relocation of the Program.

Once a Letter of Agreement is reached between Health Canada and CIHR, the transfer process will begin. It is expected that the transfer process will be completed in 2003-2004. For more information, please contact andré_leury@hc-sc.gc.ca