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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The ninth annual general meeting of the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) is scheduled to be held on the island of Grenada from October 28 to 30. A senior official announced on the eve of the meeting that the number of people with HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean is on the decline, but more must be done to contain the disease.
The new statistics showed there were 17,000 new infections last year as compared to 20,000 the previous year. PANCAP also said there were 11,000 deaths compared to 14,000 during the same period in 2008.
When comparing the Caribbean on a per capita basis to sub-Saharan Africa the figures are still very high for such a small region, noted PANCAP director Carl Browne.
Authorities say the decline in new infections is due to massive public education and increased condom-use, while the reduced number of deaths is a result of better access to care and treatment.
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