GEORGETOWN, Guyana - A study has found that while the Caribbean has made progress in responding to the HIV epidemic, the impact of the prevention plan has been inadequate, particularly among key populations.
The study also found the annual number of new HIV infections among adults in the Caribbean declined by only 18 percent from 2010 to 2017, from 19,000 to 15,000.
“Key populations, men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers (SWs) and their clients, and partners of key populations, transgender persons, and persons who use drugs, accounted for the majority of the new HIV infections (68 percent) during this period,” the study noted.
According to the study, commissioned by the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) Priority Areas Coordinating Committee, new infections among children fell from an estimated 2,300 in 2010 to 1,100. However, it showed that HIV infected pregnant women receiving ART to reduce HIV transmission declined from 92 percent in 2014 to 79 percent in 2015 and 75 percent in 2016 and 2017, respectively, illustrating a significant decrease that requires investigation.
