Cara Loverock
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 14, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Support groups for people with HIV/AIDS may make a comeback in Yellowknife.

"It's 10 years that the NWT has been without this support," said Debbie Russell, who is spearheading efforts as co-ordinator of the proposed services in the territory.

AIDS Yellowknife closed in 1997 and although there is still a help line residents can call, there are no longer services where people with the illness can support each other.

Russell is busy sending out letters of intent, forming a board and looking for funding from the federal and territorial governments, as well as private funding. She said the support group and services would help people dealing with the sexually-transmitted infection.

Russell said the group would also offer support services and information.

Dr. John Morse, internal medicine specialist with Stanton Territorial Hospital, said the city does not have enough cases to have its own clinic that specializes in HIV. The medical team in Yellowknife works with health authorities in Edmonton and treatment for the illness is co-ordinated with University of Alberta specialists on HIV.

Morse said that there is still a stigma attached to HIV and more public education is needed.

"This is a disease now that's a chronic disease in most cases and if patients take the treatments they can live pretty normal lives for a long, long time. So it's very different from what it was even 10 years ago," said Morse.

The numbers of HIV infections in the territory is growing. According to the Department of Health and Social Services publication EpiNorth, there have been 31 reported cases between 1987 and 2006. Wanda White, communicable disease specialist with the department, said four new cases have been confirmed this year.

She said the territory has high rates of unprotected sex, drugs and drinking, which are risk factors that contribute to sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.

White said one of the gaps is support services offered by people who are infected themselves.

"It's hard to get people to come forward," said White. "People don't want that public recognition because we're so small."