Genetic mutations in HIV strains in Saskatchewan have been discovered that are immune-resistant and therefore moving from having HIV to AIDS much more quickly, however, there may be a misunderstanding in the research findings.
One of the researchers from the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Dr. Zabrina Brumme, emphasizes that although the majority of people in Saskatchewan who have contracted HIV are Indigenous, that doesn’t mean this mutation is only affecting Indigenous people.
She wanted to get this message across, because she has seen reports that it is only Indigenous people affected and that’s not the case.
Researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Joy, says the good news is that the medications for people with HIV or AIDS are still effective for those with his rapidly progressing strain of the virus, so his advice is for those at risk to get tested and if you test positive, get treatment, because you can still live a long and healthy life if you do.
Dr. Joy says the immune resistant strains have also been confirmed to be prevalent in Japan, but the mutated virus is also found elsewhere, just not to the same extent.