Data source: Ontario HIV Laboratory Cohort
Key points
- Based on the number of people in the Ontario HIV Laboratory Cohort, an estimated 16,110 people were living with diagnosed HIV in Ontario in 2015 (upper estimate: 17,423).
- The total number of people with diagnosed HIV living in Ontario has increased steadily over time and almost doubled from 2000 to 2015. A combination of factors has likely contributed to this increase, including ongoing new HIV diagnoses each year and improved life expectancy of people living with HIV due to successful treatment regimens.
- While the 16,110 individuals represent the majority of people with diagnosed HIV living in Ontario in 2015, it may not include everyone because we were not able to completely account for deaths and migration. Based on the constraints of the data available in the Ontario HIV Laboratory Cohort, a diagnosed individual who is actually living in Ontario would be assumed to have died or migrated out of the province if they hadn’t had a VL test in more than two years. This means that 16,110 is likely an underestimate of the total number of people with diagnosed HIV living in Ontario.
Figures
Figure 1 Number of people with diagnosed HIV living in Ontario, 2000 to 2015
Trends: The number of people with diagnosed HIV living in Ontario increased from 8,859 in 2000 (upper estimate: 11,389) to 16,110 in 2015 (upper estimate: 17,423). See Table 1 below for data and definitions.
Notes: Solid line represents main estimate and shaded area represents range of estimates.
Tables and definitions
Table 1 Number of people with diagnosed HIV living in Ontario, 2000 to 2015
Estimate | “Diagnosed” definition |
Main | Nominal HIV-positive diagnostic test or HIV viral load test, and not administratively lost to follow-up after 2 years |
Upper | Nominal/non-nominal HIV-positive diagnostic test or HIV viral load test, and not administratively lost to follow-up after 3 years |
Notes: Data provided by Public Health Ontario Laboratories.