HIV/AIDS Communiqué - Volume 3 Number 1 - Spring 2004

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The National Aboriginal Council on HIV/AIDS

One of the key areas of work coming from the National Aboriginal Council on HIV/AIDS' (NACHA) full council meeting of May, 2003, was to organize an Aboriginal Summit. The Summit, a face-to-face meeting of Council at which new members will be elected, is taking place in Vancouver, BC, on April 16&17.

NACHA is also busy putting the finishing touches on its 2001-2003 Progress Report, which will be tabled at the Summit. The report outlines the work NACHA has done since its inception in 2001. Also to be presented at the Summit are the preliminary findings of an evaluation of NACHA, which is also currently underway. The evaluation will help guide future planning and activities by reflecting on past initiative and work of the Council.

NACHA provided input into the draft, Leading Together: An HIV/AIDS Action Plan for All Canada, currently under consultation, and will continue to provide input to Health Canada to ensure that the HIV/AIDS-related needs of all Aboriginal peoples in Canada are met.

For more information on NACHA, contact Shannon Brunton Stephens at shannon_brunton_stephens@hc-sc.gc.ca .

Understanding the HIV Epidemic among Aboriginal Peoples: A Collaboration with the Community for the Community

The National Aboriginal Council on HIV/AIDS (NACHA) is a body that provides advice to Health Canada on HIV/AIDS issues relevant to Aboriginal peoples. The council has endorsed an Epidemiology and Surveillance Ad Hoc Committee that includes a representative from each of the four caucuses (First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Community) that comprise NACHA along with two technical and content experts from the Surveillance and Risk Assessment Division (SRAD), Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control. Members of the ad hoc committee have recently partnered to produce the first "Epi Note" devoted to explaining the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Canada's Aboriginal peoples.

Epi Updates are published annually by SRAD and aim to summarize the current status of HIV/AIDS in Canada. Key findings from national HIV/AIDS surveillance data, estimates of incident and prevalent infections, and relevant research are highlighted. Since 2002, Epi Notes have been produced on selected topics. Epi Notes communicate the same key messages contained in Epi Updates, but use plain language and a more visual approach in order to increase access to information on epidemiology and surveillance for a broader range of community stakeholders.

"HIV/AIDS surveillance among Aboriginal Peoples: Communities at a Glance" represents a first attempt to communicate the extent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Aboriginal peoples directly with the community. This Epi Note has been created through a collaborative process and has resulted in mutual capacity building between the federal government and Aboriginal communities. This Epi Note is scheduled for release at an Aboriginal Summit being held in April 16-17 in Vancouver, BC. A companion Epi Update will be targeted for dissemination at the 13th Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research (CAHR) conference to be held May 13-16 in Montreal, QC.

Highlights of "HIV/AIDS surveillance among Aboriginal Peoples: Communities at a Glance" and the companion Epi Update include the following:

• Aboriginal peoples are over-represented in the HIV epidemic in Canada
• Aboriginal peoples make up a growing percentage of positive HIV test reports and reported AIDS cases
• Injecting drug use continues to be a key method of transmission in the Aboriginal community
• HIV/AIDS has a significant impact on Aboriginal women
• Aboriginal people are being infected with HIV at younger age compared to non-Aboriginal people.

Communication of these key messages will allow communities to develop evidence-based policies and programs in an attempt to curb their HIV epidemic. A product of collaboration with the community for the community, this Epi Note aims to better serve Canada's Aboriginal peoples.

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