Manitoba declares HIV public health emergency over sharp rise in cases

Increased HIV transmission across Manitoba — primarily in Winnipeg and surrounding Indigenous communities —has prompted a public health emergency, the province’s chief public health officer announced Thursday. Marking some of the highest infection rates in the nation, an estimated 120 cases were reported provincially in the first quarter of 2026, according to Dr. Brent Roussin — though he cautioned that this recent data may have duplicates from people who were tested more than once. “HIV rates in Manitoba have sharply risen over the last number of years. In 2025, there were 328 new cases reported. If we compare that to 2021, we saw 142 cases that year,” Roussin told reporters. Roussin says factors driving this uptick are injection drug use, homelessness and a rise in other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, noting also that there are barriers province-wide that limit access to necessary care. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/11838651/m... Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Follow Global News on X HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on TikTok HERE: https://www.tiktok.com/@globalnews.ca... #GlobalNews #Manitoba #HIV