According to a 2003 report by the BC Ministry of Health Planning, the AIDS epidemic in this province has changed dramatically since the 1980s. While AIDS continues to affect intravenous drug users and men who have sex with men, especially those aged 30 to 49, the statistics also show a steady climb in the rate of infection through heterosexual transmission.

AIDS is also increasingly affecting women. In the early years, women made up only a small proportion of those infected. But from 1987 to 2001, there was a 270% increase in the number of newly reported cases among women compared to a decrease of 40% among men. The most recent available statistics from the Public Health Agency of Canada (June 30, 2005) indicate that women account for roughly 14% of the province’s HIV+ population.

HIV has also posed a significant threat to the Aboriginal community. Although Aboriginal people represent only 4% of BC’s population, they accounted for 16% of newly reported cases of HIV in 2001. Aboriginal women are especially over-represented in HIV statistics, accounting for over 36% of newly reported cases among females in 2001.

The following charts illustrate how the epidemic has shifted among population groups commonly affected over the past twenty years.