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IQALUIT
It was a week of momentous firsts in Iqaluit, which officially recognized Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week with Mayor John Graham's first proclamation since taking office.

At its first meeting in November, Iqaluit city council voted unanimously to make Dec. 1 to 5 Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week.

Only three cases of HIV have ever been reported in Nunavut, and none since 2006. HIV/AIDS are reportable diseases, meaning, if diagnosed they must be reported to the acting chief medical officer of health. According to Dr. Maureen Baikie, over 1,600 HIV tests were conducted in Nunavut in 2006. "It's important to know we do test quite a bit for HIV. It's not that we have cases and we don't know about them," said Baikie, adding that the territory does have high rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea as well as warned of a syphilis outbreak last September. "What that tells us is our rates of sexually transmitted infections are high and we would expect to see more HIV. "The message is people need to practise safe sex because we know that these infections are being transmitted," she said. "People can take steps to prevent themselves from getting these sexually transmitted infections like using condoms."

A campaign will now run annually to draw attention to a health crisis 3.6 times higher in the aboriginal population.

"HIV/AIDS is an epidemic that devastates relationships, families, villages," said Jessica Danforth, reading aloud the proclamation on behalf of the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network.

Danforth, along with Annie Aningmiuq from Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada and Kevin Walker from the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, spent a day at Inuksuk High School giving presentations.

"The students were a little shy at first, but that's expected for the topic," said Danforth, explaining the first step with Inuit youth is education. "HIV is often an acronym some don't know what it means."

Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week looks to stop the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by getting people to practise safe sex and use condoms, free at health centres throughout Nunavut.

"What's changed over the years is youth teaching youth," said Walker, who left the North in 1989 and now lives in Summerside, P.E.I. He started a youth-designed bathroom poster campaign and worked to get condom machines in bathrooms across P.E.I.

"I find that a lot more rewarding when youth learn to empower themselves instead of just telling them what to do and when to do it."

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