Manitoba declares public health emergency – CTV

May 07, 2026

Manitoba is declaring a public health emergency over HIV infection rates.

Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief provincial public health officer, made the declaration during a news conference Thursday morning.

“Manitoba continues to experience some of the highest rates of HIV in Canada,” he said.

Roussin said in 2024, the province had an infection rate of 19.5 cases per 100,000 people, roughly 3.5 times the national HIV infection rate of 5.5 cases per 100,000 people.

Last year, 328 new HIV cases were reported in Manitoba. Roussin noted there were 142 cases in 2021.

“This is significant; it’s concerning,” he said. “It requires a coordinated action between governments, communities and health systems.”

Roussin said injection drug use, homelessness, mental health issues, along with a rise in other sexually transmitted or blood-borne infections, are fuelling the rising cases, as well as “various barriers in access to care.”

Read more: https://www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/article/manitoba-declares-public-health-emergency-over-hiv/