HIV still a health concern in Canada, says U of T study

University of Toronto:
Every eight hours, a Canadian contracts HIV.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosis of AIDS on June 5, 2011, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) partnered with the Social Research Centre (SRC) at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health and national polling firm Strategic Counsel to gauge Canadians’ knowledge and perception of the state of HIV and AIDS in Canada. The study revealed that most Canadians (93 per cent) believe they are knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS, yet only half of those surveyed consider condoms to be very effective in reducing the spread of HIV.

The study indicated that while Canadians who have had two or more sexual partners in the last year are more likely than those with only one partner to have used a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse, the majority - almost six-in-ten (57 per cent) of those with two or more partners still admit that they did not use a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse. "It is clear that Canadians’ attitudes have shifted in the past 30 years, but this hasn’t necessarily affected behavior," said Christopher Bunting, president of CANFAR.