The group is being led by associate professor Dr. Zulma Rueda, who highlighted the fact that Manitoba recorded its highest-ever HIV incidence in 2022 and 2023.

She noted the research also found that for the first time, more women than men were diagnosed with HIV, adding that the numbers also show an overrepresentation of Indigenous people and drug users.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CTV Winnipeg.

The team, led by Dr. Zulma Rueda, Canada Research Chair in sexually transmitted infection – resistance and control, was awarded $2.748-million in federal funding over five years (2025-2030) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as part of a $38-million fund to support team research on Embracing Diversity to Achieve Precision and Health Equity. 

“When people are diagnosed with HIV, it is a big added challenge to a long list of challenges,” said Rueda, a clinician-epidemiologist and associate professor of medical microbiology and infectious diseases at the Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. “We’re working to understand how to better help people navigate the diagnosis and assist engagement in care.” 

The community research team at one of the training sessions.

In 2022 and 2023, Manitoba recorded its highest-ever HIV incidence — and for the first time, more women than men were diagnosed. The province also reports some of the highest rates of syphilis, congenital syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea in Canada. 

Rueda leads AllTogether4IDEAS, a team of experts working across disciplines — from medicine to criminal justice — to improve how HIV and sexually transmitted blood-borne infections (STBBIs) are prevented, diagnosed and treated in Manitoba. 

“This isn’t just a medical issue,” Rueda said. “It requires a Manitoba-made, Indigenous- and community-led approach grounded in the voices of those with lived experience.”

What the research shows 

Rueda’s team found that HIV is affecting Manitobans differently than in other parts of Canada: 

• Half of people newly diagnosed with HIV between 2018 and 2023 were female. 

• 43 per cent of females and 29 per cent of males experienced houselessness. 

• Females and Indigenous Peoples disproportionately experience intersecting systemic and structural barriers. 

Ending HIV stigma 

This #ZeroHIVStigmaDay, Rueda and her team are sharing three key facts that could change how Manitobans think about HIV: 

• HIV can be prevented before and after exposure. Tools like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) are highly effective in preventing HIV when taken as prescribed. 

• An HIV diagnosis is not a death sentence. With the right treatment, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives — and cannot transmit the virus to their partners if their viral load is undetectable. 

• Regular testing is key to protecting yourself and others. Knowing your status helps protect you and others. Testing is quick, confidential and a powerful step toward ending stigma. 

A call to action  

“For policymakers, working closely with experts across disciplines is essential,” said Rueda. “You cannot solve HIV and STBBI rates without intersectoral work — at the federal, provincial and local levels. This cannot be solved within health care alone.” 

She outlined three priorities: first, investing in testing and treatment; second, addressing housing; and third, providing support for substance use (including harm reduction) and mental health. 

“We identified the barriers people face in accessing or continuing HIV care,” said Rueda. “These include coping with a new diagnosis, mental health challenges, substance use, experiences of violence and compounded stigma — especially related to houselessness and substance use. 

“People also encounter gaps in preventative and social supports, challenges with housing access, and systemic issues that can make navigating care more difficult. We recognize that health-care providers are doing their best under immense pressure, and part of our work is to support systems that work better for everyone.”

To learn more about the context of HIV in Manitoba, view the team’s previous infographic summarizing findings from 2018-2021: https://mbhiv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Infographic-website-MB-HIV-Program-Report-2018-2021-FINAL-2.pdf 

“Currently, there are prophylaxis [preventive] vaccines for HPV that are commonly given to children in high-income countries, but access remains limited in many African countries for many reasons, including high cost and health-care infrastructure gaps,” says Olukitibi.

“We know that some women can clear HPV naturally, so we want to find the immune cells responsible for that and use it to provide information for the development of a therapeutic vaccine to treat women already infected with HPV.”

Partnering for women’s health in Africa

Olukitibi is working with Dr. Keith Fowke, professor and department head of medical microbiology and infectious diseases in the Max Rady College of Medicine. Olukitibi’s work builds on 45 years of UM’s global leadership in health research in Africa.

His research will contribute to the longstanding collaboration between the University of Manitoba and the University of Nairobi, focusing on developing effective strategies to improve the health and well-being of sex workers in Kenya.    

Dr. Keith Fowke working with partners in Kenya.

Olukitibi will collaborate with community members from two grassroots organizations committed to improving the health and well-being of marginalized and vulnerable people in Nairobi: the Sex Worker Outreach Program (SWOP) and Partners for Health and Development in Africa (PHDA).

Female sex workers (FSWs) in Kenya frequently encounter significant obstacles in accessing essential health-care services, including preventive HPV vaccines. This has led to a high number of HPV infections, a known cause of cervical cancer.

Blood samples have been collected from community members participating in the SWOP and PHDA programs. Olukitibi will focus on comparing the cellular composition of FSWs who can naturally clear HPV to those who are unable to do so.

He will conduct an in-depth analysis of the isolated immune cells responsible for combating HPV, aiming to identify the specific immune cells that play a crucial role in clearing the virus. This study will aid in informing the design and development of an innovative therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of infected patients.

Ensuring worldwide health equity in challenging times

This research transcends scientific discovery, offering the potential to transform health-care equity by ensuring that women in low- and middle-income countries have access to vital, life-saving prevention and treatment options.

With global health research facing increasing challenges, this funding is more important than ever. Recent budget cuts to programs in Africa, including PEPFAR (U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), could mean that important organizations such as SWOP will close and testing or treatment for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV and HPV will cease. This, in turn, could result in an increased risk of infections and preventable deaths.

“With this funding, important work can continue in Kenya,” says Olukitibi. “Communicating the importance of science in the current landscape of misinformation and funding cuts is imperative. Continued scientific inquiry and vigorous research are key to improving the health outcomes of women and families in Africa and around the world.”

“If somebody takes drugs, they will take it with a clean or dirty needle. Offering a clean needle won’t increase the amount of people who are using drugs,” she said.

Safe needles are one part of the solution, she said, but so are distributing free condoms, making the preventive drug PrEP available for those at higher risk, and enhancing mental health supports.

“We forget everything else that is needed to fix the HIV problem that we have in the Prairies,” she said.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CBC Manitoba.

On his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to freeze foreign aid funding. This was followed by a stop-work order for dozens of life-saving humanitarian programs.

One of the programs affected by this announcement is the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This program has invested more than US$100 billion in the global HIV/AIDS response since it was founded in 2003. This makes the U.S. the largest funder of HIV/AIDS programs worldwide.

If PEPFAR funding ends when the waiver expires — or resumes but doesn’t allow funding for services to all key populations — this will have severe impacts on those in the continent living with HIV or at high risk of infection.

Read the whole article here.

Dr. Julie Lajoie, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, said the billion-dollar freeze in humanitarian assistance puts at risk the future of a decades-long initiative spearheaded by Manitoba researchers to care for and prevent HIV and sexually transmitted diseases in Kenya.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CBC Manitoba. 

The majority of clinical services and drugs supplied in these clinics is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program and the Global Fund.

“The recent announcement by the US government that this funding is paused, massive work stoppages, and that the USAID program is at risk of being dismantled, sent a major wave of stress and fear amongst these communities in Kenya…it was palpable,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost and dean (health sciences) and dean, Max Rady College of Medicine, who visited the UM partner clinics in Nairobi last week along with UM President Dr. Michael Benarroch, Chancellor Anne Mahon and medical microbiology and infectious disease head Dr. Keith Fowke.

“Individuals who have had their HIV counts reduced to undetectable levels for 20 plus years allowing them to feel well, are now at risk. We know that missing one’s medications will lead to a resurgence of the HIV virus as well as new drug resistance. While immediately impacting these communities, it also has global implications as we have learned from the COVID pandemic – drug resistance will spread across the world.”

Because the aforementioned vulnerable communities are deemed illegal in Kenya, they are stigmatized by the public health system and at risk of extortion by the police or incarceration by the legal system, Nickerson noted.

“We take great pride in the success of these community clinics. Over the last 45 years the UM has played a key role in building both clinical and research capacity that is now led by Kenyans,” said Nickerson. “The goal is to advance care in both the prevention and treatment of HIV AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.”

A major part of the success of these clinics is the investment in peer educators, including paralegals, who provide critical information and support to members of their communities, he added.

“The clinics provide an environment without judgement where individuals can come for peer support and counselling, in addition to receiving appropriate medical care. Without access to life-saving medications, millions of people living with HIV will be at risk.”

Nickerson called on researchers and physicians to both advocate for the US administration to reverse its foreign aid decisions and ask the Canadian government to step into the breach to prevent this humanitarian tragedy from occurring across the developing countries of the world.

“I was reminded and affirm that health is a human right and we who live in abundance have a duty to care for our fellow human beings,” he said.

What you should know about Dr. James Blanchard and his research:

• Dr. James Blanchard [B.Sc.(Med.)/86, MD/86], executive director of the UM Institute for Global Public Health, leads health research and programming to support reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health in Asia and Africa.

• The Institute for Global Public Health (IGPH) has helped position UM health researchers as leaders in global public health. IGPH is rooted in the Department of Community Health Sciences in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences but has a university-wide mandate.

• In Canada, he has been a leader in developing methods to study the emerging epidemics of diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

Research impacts:

• In 2014, approximately 45 out of every 1,000 babies died within the first month of life in Uttar Pradesh, India. By 2019, neonatal mortality rates decreased to 36 per 1,000 live births.

• Over the past 25 years, Blanchard has also provided leadership globally to applying research to improve the design and implementation of large public health programs related to sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS.

Recent honours and honourable mentions:

• In 2022, Blanchard’s research was given a major injection of support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The funding of US$87 million will help the government of Uttar Pradesh scale up critical initiatives across the state to prioritize the health of pregnant women and their children.

• Elected as a fellow the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) in 2022. The CAHS Fellowship recognizes excellence in health sciences. Election to Fellowship in the Academy is considered one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian health sciences community.

Must-read or Must-see:

READ: Cross collaborations in health with university and government in India

VIDEO: How UM researchers are saving lives in India

What’s next:

• New global health initiatives and collaborations with partners will advance UM’s role in promoting the use of science in designing and implementing high-impact public health programs.

• Advancing knowledge to improve health programs and services for socially and economically excluded urban and peri-urban populations in south Asia.

• Developing partnerships with academic institutions in other countries for graduate education in community health sciences and global health.

UM Faces & Spaces is a monthly feature showcasing the people and places across UM that are transforming the student experience, advancing innovation in research, driving change and creating a lasting impact here in Manitoba and globally. For more stories go to our YouTube playlist.

Listen here

The bust of Dr. Plummer at Innovation Plaza.

Dr. Plummer was immortalized last week with a new bust unveiled at Innovation Plaza to inspire students and faculty with a tangible reminder of the highest standard of excellence at UM. “Dr. Frank Plummer was model of research excellence we all aspire to,” says Dr. Digvir Jayas, UM Vice-President (Research and International). “From Winnipeg to Nairobi and all around the world his contributions have saved the lives of tens of thousands of people, and it is wonderful to see him join the illustrious group here at Innovation Plaza.”

The other researchers featured in the plaza are Dr. John M. Bowman, Dr. Baldur Stefansson, Dr. Henry Bruce Chown, and Dr. Carol Shields.

Remembering an Icon

Frank Plummer was born in Winnipeg in 1952 and received his medical degree from the University of Manitoba in 1976. He continued his training in internal medicine and infectious diseases over many years at the University of Southern California and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

Dr. Plummer was just 29 years old when he took a research position with the University of Nairobi, Kenya, in 1981, as part of a partnership with the University of Manitoba specializing in sexually transmitted infections. While studying with patients in Nairobi, the research team would uncover a link in their own work to a growing epidemic in Africa.

“Certain sexually transmitted diseases, most notably herpes, chancroid or syphilis, allow the AIDS virus to be transmitted more efficiently,” Dr. Plummer explained in a 1987 CBC interview. “It’s hard to overstate the problem in Central Africa where between 10-20% of young adults are infected with the virus, otherwise healthy and active people.” But Dr. Plummer also found hope.

Ongoing study among sex-workers in Nairobi identified a small cohort who possessed a natural immunity to HIV-1, the virus that leads to AIDS. Over the next 17 years Dr. Plummer and his team would lay the path for the development of the lifesaving HIV vaccine and drugs which have improved the quality of life for people living with HIV.

Dr. Frank Plummer.

After his return to Canada, Dr. Plummer was named Scientific Director General of the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, in 2000. There, he played a leadership role in Canada’s response to the SARS pandemic in 2003, and the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009. He would also help lead the development of the Ebola vaccine used in response to the outbreak in West Africa.

Through his illustrious career, Dr. Plummer also served as senior scientific advisor of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and director general of the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control in Ottawa. He was honoured with many awards including Officer of the Order of Canada, the Order of Manitoba, both the McLaughlin and Flavelle Medals of the Royal Society of Canada, and four honourary degrees.

Dr. Plummer was also recognized for his outstanding contributions to biological science with the Prix Galien Research Award, the Rh Institute Award, the St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation International Award, the Killam Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts and Canada Gairdner Wightman Award.  

Dr. Frank Plummer passed away suddenly in 2020 while in Nairobi, Kenya celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the Manitoba/Kenya research collaboration.

“The breadth of Frank Plummer’s scientific outreach was greater than any other scientist that I know of,” Keith Fowke, Head of the UM Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases told Research Manitoba. “That is what made him a great leader at the NML, he knew the clinical situation, the epidemiology of disease spread, and he understood the basic science. Having someone at the top who could see the big picture of infectious disease was really important.”

Dr. Fowke worked together with Dr. Plummer for more than 30 years in Nairobi, and Manitoba, and nominated him to be honoured at Innovation Plaza. The bust of Dr. Plummer was unveiled by UM president Dr. Michael Benarroch, Dr. Digvir Jayas on September 8^th, 2022.

Innovation Plaza was established in 2013 to celebrate and honour University of Manitoba academic staff who have demonstrated sustained excellence and global impact and influence through a body of research, scholarly works or creative activities with a series of commemorative busts. The project was made possible through the vision and leadership of the Richardson Foundation.