Health officials warn small-town residents of Canada not to assume their communities are immune to HIV/AIDS. The once predominantly male disease is on the rise among women and families.

"There is a new face of HIV much different than the early years when the first cases of HIV and AIDS were coming about in the early '80s and late '70s with gay men," said Margaret Akan, manager of All Nations Hope in Regina. "Now, it's more families that are coming in infected from drug use and unprotected sex."

Akan believes statistics are a poor account of how many people actually have HIV/AIDS. "Many people living with HIV or AIDS have been tested in other provinces or they commit suicide or they overdose on drugs long before ever being tested," she said.

To date, Canada has 18,469 confirmed cases of AIDS. "People here are at risk, even in small-town Saskatchewan," said James Froh, HIV and drug use expert for Saskatchewan Health. "People have to take precautions and people have to take measures to protect themselves from this very preventable disease," he said.

Education is key to prevention, and the Saskatchewan educational system offers AIDS modules at different grade levels, according to Froh. "It is to provide a protective barrier or measure for young people so they can at least be aware of the virus and how it is spread," he said. "That way they can take different measures if they choose to engage in high-risk activities such as sexual relations or drugs."

All Nations Hope works with individuals and their families to access services for HIV/AIDS patients. Services can range from needle exchange programs to medical attention to finding food and shelter, according to Froh.

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