Background

Mobilise! : L’Enquête, a video by X. Simon, L. Pineault, G. Daunais-Laurin et P. Bécotte

Despite the prevention efforts of the past 30 years …

… gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) remain the population most affected by HIV in Quebec. In 2014, gbMSM accounted for nearly 2 out of 3 HIV diagnoses.¹ About 1 in 7 gbMSM are living with HIV, among whom 1 in 5 do not know they are HIV-positive.²

However, in addition to condoms, we now have a number of other ways to reduce the risk of contracting or transmitting HIV. The arrival of new prevention options such as PrEP (an pills taken by an HIV-negative person to prevent infection) and a growing interest in how different options and services can be combined to increase their impact (“combination prevention”) has created an opportunity to “re-think” HIV prevention.

A range of research suggests that we now have the tools and approaches needed to significantly reduce HIV infections among gbMSM in the coming years. To achieve this, individuals and communities must be aware of the available options and be able to use them effectively. Access to health and support services must also be optimized to facilitate the use of different prevention strategies.

The Mobilise! project

In Montreal, a coalition of partners has been working to address these priorities since 2012. The coalition reached the conclusion that a process of community mobilization is necessary to bring about improvements in access to HIV and STI prevention services and tools, leading to implementation of the Mobilise! project in 2015. The project brings together a variety of participants (community members, community workers, clinicians and other service providers) to help them take action together.