Click here to visit the new home of Blackvoices!

HOT ON HUFFPOST BLACKVOICES:

 

Categories

Contributors

Other BV Blogs

Caribbean Gets $100 Million Grant for AIDs Prevention

By Ericka Blount Danois on May 12th 2010 9:54AM

Comments (2)

caribbean gets grant for AIDs

Leaders in the Caribbean, a region with the second largest AIDS rate in the world, expect to receive a $100 million grant from the U.S. government to help fight AIDS over the next five years.At the end of 2008, an estimated 240,000 people were living with HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean. Some 20,000 people were newly infected during 2008, and there were 12,000 deaths due to AIDS.

In the Bahamas and Haiti, more than 2 percent of the adult population is living with HIV.

AIDS is now one of the leading causes of death in some of these countries, with Haiti being the worst affected. An estimated 7,500 lives are lost each year to AIDS in Haiti, and thousands of children have been orphaned by the epidemic. Countries in this region are making efforts to slow down the epidemic and limit its impact, most obviously by providing antiretroviral drugs. In 2002, the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS signed an agreement with six pharmaceutical companies to provide access to cheaper antiretroviral drugs.

Access to antiretroviral therapy is provided to all those in need in Cuba, and Barbados is close to this goal. In Trinidad and Tobago, though, only 58 percent of those in need of treatment were receiving it at the end of 2007, and rates in four other large countries were even lower.

HIV transmission occurs largely through heterosexual intercourse. Sex between men is also a significant route of transmission, even though it is heavily stigmatized and illegal in many areas. HIV transmission by intravenous drug use remains rare, except in Bermuda and Puerto Rico. The disease has spread in the Caribbean, mostly by tourists, truck drivers, shipmates and soldiers.

Acting U.S. Ambassador in Guyana Karen Williams says the agreement will provide funds to treat people in a dozen countries, including Suriname, the Bahamas and Belize.

Williams said Tuesday that countries can start to request funds next month from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which is the main U.S. program for international AIDS programs.

Under the agreement, the 12 countries would get $25 million annually or up to $125 million over the next five years to assist with prevention, testing, strategic information and counseling, said Williams.


Comments: (2)

Add a comment

Page 1 of 1

Add a Comment

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed but they are required to confirm your comments. When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password."

Most Commented Articles

Daily Drama

The Best Clips From TV's Hottest Shows

More Daily Drama >>

Find a Message Board

Discover conversations on everyone from Barack to Beyonce. There are nearly 50 forums, so click on a category below and find the right one for you.