Battling HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean.The recent passage of the Global AIDS Bill of $15 billion includes support for prevention efforts in Africa, as well as a growing region of concern with increased HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. infection rates--the Caribbean. In 2001 alone, 40,000 adults and children in the Caribbean died from AIDS-related illnesses. Today, nine of the 12 countries with the highest HIV infection rates in the Americas are located in the region. According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (UNAIDS UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS ) the disease is already the leading cause of death among Caribbean residents between the ages of 15 and 35. Some of the largest barriers to fighting HIV/AIDS in the region are the lack of funding and cultural understanding from the international community. For instance, a portion of the $15 billion from the Global AIDS Bill will support efforts in Haiti and Guyana, but local experts say that singling out two nations in a region where mobility is commonplace is just another example of the international community not fully understanding the nature of the epidemic or the communities they are serving. Migration between islands, as well as to the U.S., help to spread the virus, while the political isolation, language differences between islands, and social and cultural taboos about sex hinder cooperation in educational and prevention efforts. A conservative estimate, according to the University of the West Indies The university consists of three major campuses at Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, and Cave Hill in Barbados, together with a satellite campus in Mount Hope, Trinidad and Tobago and a Centre for Hotel and Tourism Management in Nassau, Bahamas. , of the cost of a comprehensive response to the epidemic in the Caribbean would be around $260 million per year; ten times more than current HIV/AIDS-related international spending in the region. The high cost of pharmaceuticals has been identified as one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome. Recently, however, local governments have started negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to bring down these costs. According to the Pan American Health Organization The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with 100 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter-American System. (PAHO PAHO Pan American Health Organization (WHO) ), the price of antiretroviral drugs Antiretroviral Drugs Definition Antiretroviral drugs inhibit the reproduction of retroviruses—viruses composed of RNA rather than DNA. The best known of this group is HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, the causative agent of AIDS. has decreased by as much as 54 percent between 2001 and 2002, saving over $2,000 per person. However this reduction varies by country and the amount paid in one place may be ten times that of another. Even with price reductions, treatment is still unaffordable un·af·ford·a·ble adj. Too expensive: medical care that has become unaffordable for many. un to most in the region. While negotiations focus on treatment, others target prevention efforts. "Together We Can," launched in 1993, is a program of the American and Jamaican Red Cross aimed at reducing AIDS among young people throughout the Caribbean. The program works with youth ages 13-19, and through workshops, discussions, educational games and interaction with HIVinfected peers, the participants are trained in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Then each agrees to reach out to 30 peers in their home communities. The program has inspired a region-wide interest in AIDS education, as well as the recent creation of the Red Cross Caribbean AIDS Network. Unfortunately, the Caribbean AIDS epidemic is still largely unknown in the global community. Only through raising awareness and funding, as well as expanding the combined efforts of prevention and education programs like the examples sited above, can the Caribbean community ultimately stem the tide Stem The Tide An attempt to stop a prevailing trend. Sometimes referred to as "stop the bleeding." Notes: If a stock is continually falling, stemming the tide would be an attempt to halt the free fall and change its direction. See also: Reversal, Trend against HIV/AIDS. |
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