St Vincent & the Grenadines report decrease in the number HIV/AIDS cases due to proactive programs

Since the implementation of a comprehensive prevention program in 2004 by health officials in St Vincent & the Grenadines have reported a decrease in the number HIV/AIDS cases.

A recent report, revealed that between 2004 and 2010, the annual number of new HIV-positive cases in St. Vincent & the Grenadines declined by 41 percent, from a baseline of 108 to 64.

During the same period, the annual number of new AIDS cases declined by 38 percent, from 40 cases to 25.

Following the identification of the first HIV-positive case in 1984, the government of St. Vincent & the Grenadines established a response program, which eventually led to the development of the National HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections Strategic Plan 2001-2006.

According to sources, in 2006 it was estimated that HIV prevalence in St. Vincent & the Grenadines was 1 percent, compared with 2 to 4 percent in the Bahamas, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago, “suggesting that the government had an opportunity to prevent the pandemic from escalating as it had in other countries.”

It was noted that project implementation involved mass campaigns and provision of HIV lessons, as part of life skills training in all public primary and secondary classes, “which have likely contributed to enhanced prevention activities and changes in behavior and attitudes.”

When the project ended in 2010, St. Vincent &the Grenadines continued to get support from the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund.

“The challenge moving forward is to retain key staff to manage, coordinate, and implement the program, and to continue engaging and strengthening civil society organizations and line ministries through training, provision of technical assistance and opportunities for networking and coordination,” health officials in the twin-island nation said. -(CMC)