World AIDS Day, which will be observed on December 1, brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/ AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in face of the pandemic.
Countries pledged in 2011 to take specific steps to achieve ambitious goals by 2015 as it relates to the HIV/ AIDS fight. While some have already made measurable progress and are closer to achieving the targets agreed to, there is still much work for others to do before they can get the desired results.
According to a report by UNAIDS, 34 million people around the world are now thought to have the virus that causes AIDS. It should also be noted that the number of new infections in adults has stayed broadly stable for the past four years – at about 2.5 million new cases a year.
We here in the Caribbean region can boast of several successes in relation to our HIV response and perhaps other countries can use our experiences as a model to design and implement critical HIV/ AIDS programmes.
Regional health officials have confirmed recently that there has been a reduction in the number of new HIV infections annually in the Caribbean. At a high level Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/ AIDS (PANCAP) meeting of National AIDS Programme managers, senior health officials and HIV and AIDS regional partners held in Port of Spain, there were several accomplishments outlined. These include improved access to HIV treatment and care and a high likelihood of eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV in the Caribbean.
It was further noted that significant progress had been made in reducing HIV stigma throughout the region.
Participants were, however, concerned that recent studies showed that stigma and iscrimination within the health sector still remained and needed to be systematically addressed and the practice of confidentiality reinforced.
Of interest too is that the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting noted that the region could benefit from more open acknowledgement and discussion of sex and sexuality so that more accurate information flows to youths and maturing adults could be fostered. It was also observed that the current approach to youth sexuality was impaired by personal discomfort and outmoded norms.
The importance of achieving universal access to HIV treatment and the value of providing earlier lifelong treatment for persons living with HIV, while ensuring that the quality of care and adherence to medication were maintained was also emphasised.
Additionally, it was agreed at the meeting that through the PANCAP Justice for All Programme, the region had an opportunity to accelerate its HIV response and include persons at higher risk who continued to face real discrimination in their daily lives.
UNAIDS Caribbean Regional Support Team Director, Dr Ernest Massiah, said that more needs to be done to address the prejudice and social inequities that operate to make some people, both more vulnerable to HIV infection and less likely to access prevention, testing, treatment and care services.
He was quoted as saying that young people, men who have sex with men and sex workers are among the populations that need targeted investments and more protective environments through a combination of social dialogue, increased tolerance and law reform.
We applaud the efforts made by the Caribbean, including Guyana, in the fight against HIV/ AIDS, and urge that no room is left for complacency. While we have noted the challenge of funding for crucial HIV/ AIDS programmes in the region, we believe that in order to sustain the advances made, governments and international donor partners need to put more money and effort towards ensuring that their HIV programmes can be sustained. The region cannot afford to take chances in dealing with this dreaded disease.
