Friends For Life Bike Rally - A Benefit for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation

In Toronto

• Over 15,696 people have tested positive for HIV in Toronto since 1985.
• 64.6% of all positive HIV test reports in Ontario have been reported in Toronto.
• Women have accounted for 13% of all positive HIV test reports in Toronto since 1985.
• Modes of HIV Transmission:
  
  • Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) 80%.
  • Injection Drug Users (IDU) 4.2%
  • Heterosexual contact 7.2%
  • People from countries where HIV is endemic 7.3%

In Ontario

• Ontario has the highest number of positive HIV test reports in Canada with a total of 24,734 (1985 - end of 2003).
• In 2002 there were 1,217 positive HIV tests reported in Ontario: an increase from the 1,143 cases reported in 2002 and 911 in 2001.
• It is estimated that 7,087 people have died of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses in Ontario since 1977.
• Men have accounted for 87% of all positive HIV test reports in Ontario.
• Women have accounted for 13% of all positive HIV test reports.
• Modes of HIV Transmission:
  
  • Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) 68%
  • Injection Drug Users (IDU) 7.8%
  • Heterosexual contact 11.5%
  • People from countries where HIV is endemic 3.2%
  • Women 13.7%

In Canada

• Almost 58,000 Canadians are HIV positive, 27% of them don't know it.
• Women make up 20% of all infections in Canada.
• Aboriginal people are over-represented in the epidemic and are almost 3X more likely to be infected than other Canadians.
• A national study found that 50% of grade nine and eleven students wrongly believe there is a vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS.

Globally

• 33.5 million people are living with HIV.
• 2.5 million of them are children.
• 2.1 million died in 2007 alone.
• 2.5 million became infected with HIV in 2007 alone.
• AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since 1981.
• Someone dies of an AIDS related illness every 15 seconds.
• Almost half of all the adults living with HIV are women.
• Women are biologically more vulnerable than men to HIV infection.
• Someone is infected with HIV every 13 seconds.

Recent Trends (2003, 2004)

Toronto

• 765 Torontonians were diagnosed HIV positive in 2003.
• 800 Torontonians were diagnosed HIV positive in 2004.
• 62.5% of Ontario's positive HIV test reports in 2003 were in Toronto.
• HIV infection among women in Toronto has been steadily increasing over the years. Women accounted for 26.9% of adult positive HIV test reports.
• Modes of HIV Transmission in 2004:
  
  • Men who have sex with men (MSM) 56.8%.
  • Men who have sex with men/Injection drug users 2.4%
  • Injection drug users (IDU) 2.9%
  • Heterosexual contact 16.8%
  • People from countries where HIV is endemic 19.4%

Ontario (Jan. 2003 – December 2003)

• HIV infection among women has been steadily increasing over the years.
  Women accounted for 29% of adult positive HIV test reports in 2003.
• Mode of HIV Transmission in Ontario, (for those cases where information is available):
  
  • Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) 45%.
  • Injection Drug Users (IDU) 6.3%
  • Heterosexual contact 19.9%
  • People from countries where HIV is endemic 21.8%