HIV/AIDS In The Caribbean

AIDS which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is the final stage of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus infection) that causes severe damage to the immune system. Several factors influence this epidemic, including poverty, gender, sexual orientation, unemployment, limited education and stigma. According to Unaids, by the end of the year 2001 the estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS was 40 million worldwide. Of these, 1.8 million were located in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries, representing approximately 5% of the global figure. After sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean is one of the most greatly affected regions in the HIV epidemic. In 2011, an estimated 13,000 people in the Caribbean became infected with HIV,

Infections where then found in Trinidad and Tobago between homosexual and bisexual men, this was a significant but a largely concealed aspect of the epidemic. In 1985, both men and women were reporting cases of the infection. Currently, heterosexual sex is the leading cause of HIV in the Caribbean, with women reporting more infections than men. The Caribbean is the only place, besides Africa where a higher number of women have AIDS than men. Commercial sex work is also causing many new infections, as high infection levels have been found among female sex workers (Unaids and WHO/PAHO, 2002). About 1.0 percent of the adult population (240,000 people) is living with the disease. The main cause of death between adults ages 15-44 is HIV. Social factors are a main cause in how HIV/AIDS has spread throughout the Caribbean. Unfortunately, those suffering from poverty are more likely to get an HIV infection. This is due to their limited education, inability to read/write, and unemployment. There are also many negative social responses to the epidemic, lack of understanding about the disease and fear can cause discrimination against people who are currently suffering from the virus (Richard Parker/Peter Aggleton, 2003). Gender plays an important role of the spread of HIV in the Caribbean. Women between the ages of 22-44 are more likely to contract

A study reported in 1999 showed that without antiretroviral therapy, approximately 80% of HIV-infected children in Haiti were dead within 2 years of acquiring HIV infection. The responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean have varied over time and across countries. In the 2001 Nassau Declaration on Health, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) declared the HIV/AIDS crisis to be a priority for the region. As part of their response, the Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against AIDS (PANCAP) was formed. This organization unites the Caribbean region and makes a difference in the lives of those with HIV/AIDS. Three principles that are crucial to the effective control of HIV are the inclusion of HIV positive persons, prevention and treatment programs that are carried out simultaneously, and the reduction of stigma. The Caribbean countries have provided help to those with HIV/AIDS by decreasing the cost of medication and making it easier to obtain disease treatment. Testing pregnant women for HIV and providing antiretroviral drugs has significantly reduced the rates of mother-to-child transmission. But HIV testing in the Caribbean varies, but is generally quite low. To encourage uptake of HIV testing, the CHAA Eastern Caribbean Community Action Project II is training peer educators how to provide counselling and rapid testing, to heighten access for