HIV/AIDS cases among Native people in British Columbia are set to explode on First Nation reserves, a forthcoming study warns.

The explosion is being tied to drug use. In 2003, the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS found that urban Natives in Vancouver who used injection drugs were becoming infected with HIV at twice the rate of non-Natives.

Researchers now say HIV/AIDS cases are reaching remote Native communities. In Prince George, a city in northern B.C. located near several reserves, drug use among young people is high. Natives make up 10 percent of Prince George's population.

In northern B.C., the HIV/AIDS rate among adults has doubled in the past year, according to one group. The region is home to 63 Native communities, who make up 27 percent of the population.

The study will be released later this year but researchers provided preliminary data this week to call attention to the problem and seek more funding.

Get the Story:
AIDS groups want much more money (CBC 5/12)
Mark Hume: AIDS set to explode on reserves, study warns (The Globe and Mail 5/10)

Relevant Links:
British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS - http://www.cfenet.ubc.ca
National Native American AIDS Prevention Center - http://www.nnaapc.org
AIDS FAQ, Centers for Disease Control - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faqs.htm
AIDS Programs, Indian Health Service - http://www.ihs.gov/medicalprograms/aids
Minority risk to AIDS, Centers for Disease Control - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/graphics/minority.htm

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