Abstract
Saskatchewan has the highest rate of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections
in Canada. Of those newly diagnosed, 56% identify as female, 76% identify as Indigenous,
and 71% report a history of intravenous drug use. These statistics are strikingly
different compared with Canadian data. This brief communication describes prenatal
care provided to women living with HIV at an interdisciplinary primary care clinic
in Saskatchewan, demonstrating that, despite facing great barriers such as housing
insecurity, substance use, and institutionalized racism, women living with HIV can
have positive outcomes, including engagement in care and the prevention of perinatal
HIV infection.
Résumé
La Saskatchewan est la province avec le plus haut taux d’infection au virus de l’immunodéficience
humaine (VIH) au Canada. Chez les personnes nouvellement diagnostiquées, 56 % s’identifient
comme des femmes, 76 % se disent autochtones et 71 % déclarent des antécédents de
consommation de drogues injectables. Ces statistiques brossent un portrait particulièrement
différent par comparaison aux données canadiennes. Cette brève communication décrit
la prestation de soins prénataux aux femmes atteintes du VIH dans une clinique interdisciplinaire
de soins primaires en Saskatchewan et révèle que, malgré d’importants obstacles (p.
ex. : situation de logement précaire, toxicomanie et racisme institutionnel), les
femmes atteintes du VIH peuvent avoir des résultats positifs, notamment l’adhésion
au plan de soins et la prévention de la transmission périnatale du VIH.
Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 31, 2022
Accepted:
January 4,
2022
Received:
August 18,
2021
Footnotes
Disclosures: The authors declare they have nothing to disclose.
All authors have indicated they meet the journal’s requirements for authorship.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada/La Société des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Canada. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
