Approximately 25 percent of the persons who have contracted HIV/AIDS in The Bahamas throughout the years have been Haitian nationals, says - director of The Bahamas National HIV/AIDS Centre, Dr. Perry Gomez

Gomez: 25% of HIV/AIDS cases are Haitians

By Royston Jones
Guardian Staff Reporter
royston@nasguard.com

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Nassau, The Bahamas

Approximately 25 percent of the persons who have contracted HIV/AIDS in The Bahamas throughout the years have been Haitian nationals, according to director of the Bahamas National HIV/AIDS Centre, Dr. Perry Gomez.

“We know over the years that that population has contributed about 25 percent of the data,” he pointed out during an event at the U.S. Embassy, during which grants were awarded to the HIV/AIDS Centre and six other organizations involved in the HIV/AIDS fight.  They were awarded grants that totalled over $48,000.  The purpose of the grants is to promote HIV/AIDS prevention and reduce the stigma attached to those living with the disease, according to U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas Nicole Avant.

Dr. Gomez further pointed out at the presentation that there are persons in the Haitian community, as well as the Bahamian community, who are not aware that they have contracted the disease.  As a result they do not seek help or alternatively seek help too late.

"The point about this exercise is to increase the knowledge of the people in the community," said Gomez. "If they are familiar with what we are doing with our services, they will more readily present and come earlier, rather than coming in the 11th hour.”

The slogan 'Know Your Status' was chosen by the Bahamas National HIV/AIDS Centre because a person can be HIV positive for as long as 15 years and not be sick, whilst still potentially transmitting the disease, said Gomez.  He added that the language barrier between English and Haitian creole speakers is believed to be another factor that contributes to persons, within the Haitian population in The Bahamas, avoiding HIV/AIDS testing.

“We [have been] trying to get more and more of our staff in the clinics to learn [Haitian] Creole over the years,” said Gomez.

The Ambassador's Fund for HIV/AIDS Prevention and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) have partnered to make the grants possible.  PEPFAR is a U.S. government initiative that annually awards small grants around the world in support of local projects that help to save the lives of those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

The other grant awardees include The Bahamas AIDS Foundation, Her Majesty's Prison, the Grand Bahamas Red Rose Ball Committee, the South Eleuthera Mission, Youth Ambassadors for Positive Living and Bahamas United Limited.

The Bahamas National HIV Centre plans to use the grant to establish a 'Train the Trainers' program, according to Gomez.  The project aims to educate bi-lingual speakers within the Haitian community on HIV prevention, transmission and treatment so that they may teach others within their community.

The U.S. Embassy has partnered with all segments of Bahamian society to help increase testing and counseling for HIV, to improve HIV/AIDS data collection, to build capacity in delivering quality services and to raise awareness, according to Avant.

“We believe that the work supported by PEPFAR resources will result in a cumulative, positive and enduring impact on the national public health system by increasing health services for all Bahamians, especially those on the Family Islands,” said Avant.  “This is a global fight and there is no retreat and no alternative, until we reach every person whose life has been touched by HIV and AIDS and stem the spread of the disease.”

The PEPFAR agreement will provide The Bahamas with more than $5 million in U.S. assistance over the next several years to support the efforts of HIV/AIDS prevention.

Sep 22, 2011

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Bahamas: An “underground prostitution ring” and homosexual relations between males present the biggest challenges in The Bahamas’ fight against HIV/AIDS...

Minnis: HIV/AIDS fight challenged by prositution, homosexuality

BY KRYSTEL ROLLE
Guardian Staff Reporter
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krystel@nasguard.com



An “underground prostitution ring” and homosexual relations between males present the biggest challenges in the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS, according to Health Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis.

“The only challenge we find now is that there is the male to male sex relations - we have to deal with that,” Minnis said. “And there is the hidden or underground prostitution. Prostitution is illegal but there is an underground ring that occurs. Therefore we have to aggressively try to determine where they are and deal with those approximately. So education is key.”

According to the minister, up to December 31, 2010 The Bahamas had a total number of 12,095 HIV infections, of which 6,335 cases were AIDS and 5,760 were HIV positive.

“That’s the accumulative total. Of the 12,095 infections 4,333 occurred in young adults between the ages of 15 and 44 and the male-to-female ration with HIV is 1 to 1.1.”

“I also want to point out that at the end of December 2009, 2,152 were receiving antiviral medication at no cost to them,” said Minnis who did not have last year’s figures.

Minnis said while the fight against AIDS remains an uphill battle, the ministry has had some successes.

“When we look at mother-to-child transmission, there was a 30 percent transmission rate in 1995. In 2006 we brought that down to two percent. I’m happy to announce that in 2010 we had no cases of mother-to-child transmission. The treatment is working [well],” Dr. Minnis said.

He credited the hard-working staff of the HIV/AIDS associations across The Bahamas.

“I think they are doing an excellent job in combating and fighting AIDS,” said Minnis. “The staff is doing an excellent job and of course the goal going into the UN meeting next week is to move towards zero.”

Minnis added that the government received assistance from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) agreement it has with United States.

The Bahamas is one of 12 Caribbean countries that receive monetary grants from the United States to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. Under the agreements the countries share $25 million annually.

Jun 06, 2011

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The Bahamas is "on track" to reduce HIV/AIDS among young people by 25 per cent this year

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

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Bahamas: HIV/AIDS program ups focus on prevention

By JIMENITA SWAIN ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ jimenita@nasguard.com:


With great emphasis placed over the years on treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS, greater focus must now be turned to prevention in the fight to reduce numbers, according to a local expert.

Director of the National AIDS Program Dr. Perry Gomez said yesterday that in addition to prevention more needs to be done when it comes to people at greatest risk. He spoke about the HIV issues in the country moments after attending the annual church service in observance of World AIDS Day held under the theme "Universal Access and Human Rights".

Gomez said that two weeks ago consultants from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reviewed the health system's response to the HIV epidemic and what has been done by the national program which he heads.

"They of course spoke about the positive things we have done, but we also more importantly identified gaps in the program that we need to address more diligently," Gomez said. "We have to do much more in prevention."

Many Bahamians with HIV/AIDS are receiving treatment, which in his view placed a dent in the epidemic, with reduced numbers of deaths and an almost complete elimination of mother-to-child transmission.

Gomez said transmission from infected mother to child is only seen in pregnant women who do not go to the clinic for treatment.

"Our response to that is we have to do more to get people in, make sure all pregnant women come to clinic...and look into the reasons why people don't come," he said. "The investment mustn't all be in treatment because we can't keep up with that, because the cost of treatment is so high. We must balance treatment with prevention so the country can afford it in the long run."

Gomez said all countries are being urged to increase prevention as a UNAIDS policy or mandate.

"In particular for us we have not done as good a job in the area of prevention in people at greatest risks," he said.

At risk groups are considered to be men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, drug users, migrants and youth.

"Prevention must not be generalized. It must now be specific to the group you are targeting and so there is a need to know more about each group. The program can now plan and adjust for those kinds of things," Gomez said.

He pointed out that it was only in recent weeks through a survey conducted two years ago that there is data available on men who have sex with men.

While there has been much success with the national program, there is still much more that can be done, said Dr. Baldwin Carey, a Ministry of Health consultant and the former director of public health who brought remarks on behalf of the minister of health.

"We must ensure that persons living in our Family Islands can access testing, treatment and care in their own communities," Carey said. "The Ministry of Health is committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable to HIV can access treatment and care and we must continue to promote not only medical, but a social and legal environment that is supportive of safe and voluntary disclosure of HIV status."

Dr. Merle Lewis, PAHO and World Health Organization (WHO) country representative to The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, said the local program has strengths, but the weaknesses must be corrected.

"There may be certain at risk groups that may get lost when you look at things generally, so we have to actually identify clearly who those groups are and go after them," Lewis said.

In addition, she said, new infections seen in young people means that the youth needs to be targeted.

"The other gap I think we've seen is a gap in treatment in terms of we suspect that there are many more people who are in need of treatment who are not actually receiving treatment at this time."

The Caribbean as a region has the second highest level of adult HIV prevalence in the world outside of sub-Saharan Africa, according to the 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update.

In 2008 there were an estimated 240,000 people living with HIV in the region, up from 220,000 in 2001. However, the number of new infections was stable at about 20,000 last year as compared to the 21,000 infections recorded in 2001.

In an earlier interview, Dr. Gomez said local officials have not been able to tap into the category of commercial sex workers whose test results, when calculated, could drive the number of reported cases in The Bahamas even higher.

There were 6,103 cases of AIDS reported over the past 20 years. And of those cases, just over 4,000 people died from the disease — more than 66 percent of those diagnosed.

In 2008, there were 2,078 people living with AIDS, according to health officials. There were 5,387 people living with HIV.

Gomez said that between January and December of 2008, 263 new HIV cases were reported, compared to 287 cases in 2007. The highest number of reported HIV cases was in 1994 at 657, according to the data.

Gomez also noted there was a slight decline last year in the number of reported cases of full-blown AIDS. There were 185 AIDS cases reported, down 36 cases from 2007 when 221 cases were reported.

The highest number of reported AIDS cases was recorded in 1997 at 387.

December 2, 2009

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Bahamas: Successful HIV/AIDS treatment makes disease rate appear higher

By ALISON LOWE:

Tribune Staff Reporter -

alowe@tribunemedia.net:

IN AN ironic twist in the fight against HIV/AIDS, success in treating people living with the virus has seen the Bahamas appear to have a higher HIV/AIDS rate than resource-poor countries like Haiti.

According to Perry Gomez, director of the National Aids Programme, the fact that there are now fewer people dying from AIDS in the Bahamas thanks to wider access to medication and awareness has meant there are more people alive to be recorded in the statistics which are shared internationally.

Currently, the Bahamas is documented by the Joint United Nations AIDS Programme (UNAIDS) as having an HIV/AIDS rate among people aged 15 to 49 of three per cent. The same grouping in Haiti has a rate of 2.2 per cent, Cuba, a 0.1 per cent rate, Jamaica, 1.6, Trinidad and Tobago, 1.5, and Barbados, 1.2.

"The fact is we have done such a good job of keeping people alive has added to the figures. The fewer people who die, the more you have with AIDS alive. And so when one looks at country data, and this is important for us. You might wonder why our prevalence remains being reported relatively high, higher than some countries that might surprise you."

Dr Gomez said it is "important to understand the nuances of statistics."

"As someone once said, 'There are lies, damn lies and statistics'," joked the official.

Over the last three years the number of cases where HIV progressed to AIDS has diminished significantly.

By the end of 2008, 185 new cases of AIDS - the final stage of HIV infection, which sees the body's immune system weakened to the point that it has serious difficulty fighting infections - had been recorded in the Bahamas, compared with 221 in 2007 and 329 in 2006.

The highest ever number of cases in one year of HIV progressing to AIDS - a progression which is more rapid if HIV positive individuals do not take anti-retroviral drugs - was 382 in 1997, and the rate has decreased year on year ever since.

Of the 185 AIDS cases in 2008, 65 people died and 120 remained alive at the end of the year.

Dr Gomez noted that this ensured that there were fewer people who died of AIDS last year than who lost their lives as victims of murder.

This success in keeping sufferers alive is in contrast to struggling countries like Haiti, where fewer people who contract the virus seek or receive treatment and therefore often die, removing them from data that is documented by international organisations which monitor the pandemic.

On top of the impact of this success on the rate, Dr Gomez claimed to "totally believe" that international organisations have exaggerated the Bahamas' rate, pegged at around three per cent.

The rate would also be increased by the success of a Know Your Status Campaign which continues to encourage people to get tested for HIV/AIDS.

Mr Gomez revealed that last year the National AIDS programme had been able to get "significant testing done" in the "men who have sex with men" community (MSM) in the Bahamas, a group which is known to be more likely than most not to seek testing or treatment for fear of discrimination.

The introduction of a new "rapid testing" technique, now available at all public clinics in New Providence and about to be launched across Grand Bahama, is expected to make a further impact in this regard, adding to the numbers of people who know their status by making the experience less time consuming.

The testing technique, which is as accurate as traditional methods, enables people to get tested and receive their results in less than half an hour - much quicker than the days in which people would have to wait to get blood test results back from a laboratory.

October 07, 2009

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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

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