Bahamas 'on track' for 25% HIV/AIDS drop in young people
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
THE Bahamas is "on track" to reduce HIV/AIDS among young people by 25 per cent this year, according to the United Nations HIV/AIDS programme.
As a country that bears a "high burden" of HIV/AIDS prevalence compared with other countries globally - with around three per cent of the population known to be infected with the virus - it was also noted in this year's UNAIDS report as one which is making significant strides towards curtailing its prevalence within its borders.
"A ground-breaking study for UNAIDS led by the International Group on Analysis of trends in HIV prevalence and behaviours among young people shows that these countries with high burden of HIV have either achieved or are on track to achieve the international goal of reducing HIV prevalence among young people by 25 per cent in 2010, as agreed at the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994," said the UNAID's "Outlook 2010" report released yesterday.
Sixteen out of 25 countries most affected by HIV/AIDS have seen HIV rates among young people fall - a "breakthrough essential for breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic," according to UNAIDS.
Those countries that have achieved the 25 per cent reduction goal already are: Botswana, Cote D'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Eighty per cent of young people living with HIV/AIDS live in sub Sahara Africa.
The Bahamas was identified as one of those countries "likely to achieve" the 25 per cent goal, along with Burundi, Lesotho, Rwanda, Swaziland and Haiti.
This news comes after Dr Perry Gomez, Director of the National HIV/AIDS Programme in The Bahamas revealed in a press conference in October 2009 that if infection trends seen in the early part of that year continued to year end there would be an overall rise in the number of new HIV infections in 2009 over the previous year.
At around the same time, Health Minister Dr Hubert Minnis released the findings of a study involving public and private school students, between the ages of 15 and 17 in New Providence and the Family Islands, which he said showed that while some youngsters are knowledgeable about the deadly virus, many are not taking the necessary precautions to prevent it.
Following the study's findings, Dr Minnis suggested health policy-makers, planners and professionals must redouble their efforts to ensure that young people take HIV/AIDS as seriously as they should.
The Tribune could not reach Dr Gomez and Camille Barnett, President of the AIDS Foundation, for comment on the UNAIDS Outlook report yesterday.
UNAIDS' latest report on the state of the fight against the potentially deadly HIV/AIDS virus shows that countries that saw the greatest shift in the number of young people contracting the disease included Kenya, whose infection rates were down 60 per cent between 2000 and 2005; Ethiopia, where there was a 47 per cent change in HIV prevalence among pregnant young women in urban areas and 29 per cent in rural areas; Malawi and Cote d'Ivoire HIV where prevalence among pregnant urban young women declined by 56 per cent and Burundi and the Bahamas' near neighbour, Haiti, where prevalent dropped by around half.
The report said that in 13 countries, the declines in prevalence were associated with notable reported changes in behaviour among young people, such as waiting longer before they become sexually active and using condoms.
At present there are around 5 million young people living with HIV worldwide, making up about 40 per cent of new infections.
According to UNAIDS' estimates there were 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2008. In the same year there were nearly 2.7 million new HIV infections and 2 million AIDS-related deaths.
The Bahamas recently signed on to become a beneficiary of the US President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which will allow the country to benefit from up to $2.5 million in grants from the US Government over the next three years towards fighting HIV/AIDS.
July 14, 2010
tribune242
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Showing posts with label Bahamas AIDS Foundation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bahamas AIDS Foundation. Show all posts
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Bahamas: New HIV cases set to increase
By ALISON LOWE:
Tribune Staff Reporter -
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
THE number of new HIV cases in The Bahamas is set to increase, health experts have revealed.
If trends recorded in the early part of this year hold until its end, this year will see a worrying rise, said Dr Perry Gomez, director of the National AIDS Programme.
From January to April 2009 Mr Gomez said 57 more people -- 29 men and 28 women -- were added to the list of people infected with the virus in The Bahamas.
Meanwhile, during the same period, 42 people with HIV saw their disease progress to the critical AIDS stage of the illness, resulting in 22 deaths during those four months.
"If we multiply 57 times four, we get 228. That would be more than we had last year. We'll have to see how things pan out," said Dr Gomez.
This potential rise in new HIV cases comes even as the National AIDS Programme has had impressive success in minimising the number of cases which are progressing to the critical AIDS stage of the disease, suggesting that while access to treatment and education in this regard has had an impact, people are still not getting the message about HIV prevention.
Dr Gomez disclosed the latest figures as he, with President of the AIDS Foundation Camille Barnett, and organisers of this year's Red Ribbon Ball appealed to the public to continue to support the annual fundraising gala despite hard economic times.
Tickets are $200 each for the November 21 event, which has over the past 16 years raised $700,000 for the AIDS Foundation -- a non-governmental organisation that assists in providing education, counselling, housing, medication and other basic necessities to people "infected and affected" by the virus.
Sandra Knowles, a director at major sponsor Colina Imperial Insurance Ltd and co-chair of the organising committee for the ball, reminded the public that "need knows no season" and now is not the time to give up on supporting the HIV/AIDS fight.
"We are hoping to raise at least $50,000...but if we could maintain what we got last year, that would be a miracle and God's blessing," said Mrs Knowles.
Mrs Barnett noted that within the next couple of months the AIDS foundation is embarking on a new outreach initiative which will cost a significant amount of money.
The programme, aimed at providing support to adolescents suffering from HIV/AIDS, is expected to see trained professionals connect with the young people, who often struggled to cope with their healthcare regimes, on a weekly basis.
"The foundations wants to assist these young people to achieve their right to health and right to life. We would like to empower these youths to truly believe they are accepted, safe and well," said Mrs Barnett.
In this regard, Dr Gomez commented on the case of a 20-year-old man born with HIV as a result of his mother being infected who died in the last six weeks, "in short, because of neglect."
"He had no support, he lived alone, aged 20, parents deceased, no help," said Dr Gomez.
Despite advances made by the National AIDS programme and the AIDS foundation, the NAP director said the fight against HIV/AIDS still has a long way to go in The Bahamas and therefore still needs the support of members of the public and corporate donors.
Highlighting this, he noted that although The Bahamas has been described as a model of best practice for reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission, last year saw four babies born with HIV to HIV positive mothers.
"Stigma and discrimination remains a huge problem that keeps people away from care. In the mother-to-child programme we went for a few years with almost no transmission at all from mother to child in people who came for care.
"We normally have one or two (babies born with HIV each year). Last year we had four women who had no ante-natal care, so we had four children born with HIV last year.
"That's the most we've had in ages and so there's still a lot to do with maintaining the programme of awareness and care and making sure that people get in for care," said Dr Gomez, who also noted that The Bahamas' standout reputation for good ante-natal care for HIV/AIDS infected mothers has seen numerous women travel here in recent years from across the region seeking care in the country's public clinics.
Providing a cumulative overview of the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Bahamas since it was first detected in this country, Dr Gomez said that up to the end of 2008 a total of 6,103 people in The Bahamas have contracted AIDS -- 3,626 men and 2,477 women. Of these, "4,000 plus" have died already, or 66 per cent, while 2,078 are "alive and living well with AIDS."
Meanwhile, up to the end of 2008 there was also a cumulative total of 5,387 people infected with HIV, 2,678 men and 2,726 women.
That means that there are around 7,400 people living in The Bahamas at the moment who are known to be infected with HIV/AIDS, with a current "one to one" male to female ratio -- a change from the historically greater prevalence of HIV/AIDS in men than women.
Dr Gomez noted that there are also "certainly people who have HIV/AIDS and do not know because they have never been tested", meaning that the actual rate may be much higher.
October 07, 2009
tribune242
Tribune Staff Reporter -
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
THE number of new HIV cases in The Bahamas is set to increase, health experts have revealed.
If trends recorded in the early part of this year hold until its end, this year will see a worrying rise, said Dr Perry Gomez, director of the National AIDS Programme.
From January to April 2009 Mr Gomez said 57 more people -- 29 men and 28 women -- were added to the list of people infected with the virus in The Bahamas.
Meanwhile, during the same period, 42 people with HIV saw their disease progress to the critical AIDS stage of the illness, resulting in 22 deaths during those four months.
"If we multiply 57 times four, we get 228. That would be more than we had last year. We'll have to see how things pan out," said Dr Gomez.
This potential rise in new HIV cases comes even as the National AIDS Programme has had impressive success in minimising the number of cases which are progressing to the critical AIDS stage of the disease, suggesting that while access to treatment and education in this regard has had an impact, people are still not getting the message about HIV prevention.
Dr Gomez disclosed the latest figures as he, with President of the AIDS Foundation Camille Barnett, and organisers of this year's Red Ribbon Ball appealed to the public to continue to support the annual fundraising gala despite hard economic times.
Tickets are $200 each for the November 21 event, which has over the past 16 years raised $700,000 for the AIDS Foundation -- a non-governmental organisation that assists in providing education, counselling, housing, medication and other basic necessities to people "infected and affected" by the virus.
Sandra Knowles, a director at major sponsor Colina Imperial Insurance Ltd and co-chair of the organising committee for the ball, reminded the public that "need knows no season" and now is not the time to give up on supporting the HIV/AIDS fight.
"We are hoping to raise at least $50,000...but if we could maintain what we got last year, that would be a miracle and God's blessing," said Mrs Knowles.
Mrs Barnett noted that within the next couple of months the AIDS foundation is embarking on a new outreach initiative which will cost a significant amount of money.
The programme, aimed at providing support to adolescents suffering from HIV/AIDS, is expected to see trained professionals connect with the young people, who often struggled to cope with their healthcare regimes, on a weekly basis.
"The foundations wants to assist these young people to achieve their right to health and right to life. We would like to empower these youths to truly believe they are accepted, safe and well," said Mrs Barnett.
In this regard, Dr Gomez commented on the case of a 20-year-old man born with HIV as a result of his mother being infected who died in the last six weeks, "in short, because of neglect."
"He had no support, he lived alone, aged 20, parents deceased, no help," said Dr Gomez.
Despite advances made by the National AIDS programme and the AIDS foundation, the NAP director said the fight against HIV/AIDS still has a long way to go in The Bahamas and therefore still needs the support of members of the public and corporate donors.
Highlighting this, he noted that although The Bahamas has been described as a model of best practice for reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission, last year saw four babies born with HIV to HIV positive mothers.
"Stigma and discrimination remains a huge problem that keeps people away from care. In the mother-to-child programme we went for a few years with almost no transmission at all from mother to child in people who came for care.
"We normally have one or two (babies born with HIV each year). Last year we had four women who had no ante-natal care, so we had four children born with HIV last year.
"That's the most we've had in ages and so there's still a lot to do with maintaining the programme of awareness and care and making sure that people get in for care," said Dr Gomez, who also noted that The Bahamas' standout reputation for good ante-natal care for HIV/AIDS infected mothers has seen numerous women travel here in recent years from across the region seeking care in the country's public clinics.
Providing a cumulative overview of the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Bahamas since it was first detected in this country, Dr Gomez said that up to the end of 2008 a total of 6,103 people in The Bahamas have contracted AIDS -- 3,626 men and 2,477 women. Of these, "4,000 plus" have died already, or 66 per cent, while 2,078 are "alive and living well with AIDS."
Meanwhile, up to the end of 2008 there was also a cumulative total of 5,387 people infected with HIV, 2,678 men and 2,726 women.
That means that there are around 7,400 people living in The Bahamas at the moment who are known to be infected with HIV/AIDS, with a current "one to one" male to female ratio -- a change from the historically greater prevalence of HIV/AIDS in men than women.
Dr Gomez noted that there are also "certainly people who have HIV/AIDS and do not know because they have never been tested", meaning that the actual rate may be much higher.
October 07, 2009
tribune242
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