Grant: Op. Gr.: STBBI Research in Canada: Beyond HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C- Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a potentially devastating sexually transmitted and bloodborne infection (STBBI) that impacts structurally disadvantaged populations. Once thought to be on the verge of elimination, a recent surge in gonorrhea, alongside other STBBIs, has been observed in Manitoba. Because of the ongoing impact of colonization and overt and structural racism, Indigenous peoples in Manitoba bear a disproportionate burden of gonorrhea infections. Vaccines protective against gonorrhea are just over the horizon; however, many questions remain about who to target, and how to roll-out the vaccine in order to achieve the best results. Indigenous peoples have historically been left out of public health decision-making. The projects in this seek to remedy this through co-leadership of the project by Indigenous leaders and community organizations. We seek to use the whole-of-population databases housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy to understand the epidemiology of gonorrhea and other STIs, testing, and routine vaccination uptake in Manitoba to inform STBBI prevention and intervention strategies. Furthermore, we will seek to reduce the distance between academics, community groups, and policy-makers through co-creation of knowledge and shared dissemination. At the heart of our project is the desire for Indigenous peoples to control their own narrative by shaping research questions, and to contextualize, interpret and control how findings are disseminated.