In this case study, we describe the process and planning done by AHS STI Services to create an outbreak strategy using a Best Practice Advisory. The BPA is an example of a promising practice for syphilis testing alerts that can be adapted in other parts of the country.
Stream: Harm Reduction
Prison Health is Public Health: The right to hepatitis C prevention, testing, and care in Canada’s correctional settings
The webinar provides an overview of the current state of hepatitis C care in correctional settings, explores evidence for prevention, testing and treatment in these facilities, and gives recommendations on how to improve prison health care for hepatitis C.
Summary of Findings from the 2021 Manitoba Harm Reduction Network Evaluation
This document summarizes key findings from the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network Evaluation. Findings include recommendations for changes to programs and practices that can be made by harm reduction service providers, clinics, and other public health organizations.
Report of an Evaluation of Manitoba Harm Reduction Network Services in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
An Emerging Syndemic Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March of 2020, extensive public health resources have been directed to identifying cases, curbing transmission, and carrying out vaccination campaigns. This focus has undoubtedly saved lives; it has also reduced the attention paid to other public health crises in Canada, including epidemics of sexually transmitted…
Incarceration and Sexually Transmitted and Blood-borne Diseases
Sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) rates have been increasing across Canada, particularly for hepatitis C (HCV), gonorrhea, and syphilis, including the highest rates of congenital syphilis ever reported. STBBI transmission is influenced by social, structural, and environmental factors, and these infections are increasingly associated with substance use, inadequate housing, and a history of incarceration….
National Forum on STBBI Testing and Linkages to Care: Reaching the Undiagnosed: Meeting Proceedings
This meeting provided an opportunity for attendees to share current research and information on a range of STBBI testing modalities and programs from jurisdictions across Canada, and to discuss opportunities, challenges, and potential next steps for reaching the undiagnosed.
Corrections and correctional facilities as a public health setting in Canada
In the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic context, there has been increasing attention to correctional facilities and other congregate settings as catalysts for infectious disease transmission. It is well known that infectious and other diseases are prevalent in correctional facilities around the world and Canada is no exception. Rachlis et al. discuss the importance of considering…
Harm Reduction in a Rural Setting: Lessons learned from HCV and HIV outbreaks in Scott County, Indiana
The increased use of crystal methamphetamine and other drugs has led to an increased demand for needle and syringe harm reduction services across Canada. There have been a small number of HIV outbreaks in rural parts of Canada, but these environments have mostly limited services for harm reduction and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) testing.
Plains Speak on STBBIs, 2019 An emergent challenge for the Prairies: Meeting Proceedings
Sexually transmitted and blood borne infection (STBBI) rates—including syphilis, gonorrhea (NG), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—are rapidly increasing in the Prairie provinces. Public health professionals are struggling to set programmatic priorities and identify the best interventions to suit the epidemiological context to decrease the burden of infections. Currently in…
Programs for Injection Drug Users: A Harm Reduction Approach
Primary HIV prevention interventions in prisons and upon release
HIV Prevention Interventions for Men Who Have Sex With Men