Chairman of the United Nations Joint Team on Aids (UNAIDS) Izola Garcia says even though $1.8 billion has been spent on Aids in Trinidad and Tobago, new HIV infections are still occurring.Speaking at the launch of the South West Regional Health Authority's (SWRHA) HIV Community Caravan at City Hall Auditorium, San Fernando, Garcia said T&T still had more to do to ensure zero discrimination, zero new infections and zero Aids-related deaths.
"For every 1,000 people who die from Aids- related ailments, we have 1,500 new infections," she revealed. "People are still not coming to grips with the disease and we are not dealing with the issues of vulnerability of HIV." Despite this, Garcia boasted that the Caribbean region had experienced a 44 per cent reduction in adult deaths from HIV.
Garcia, who explained that Aids was now an adult disease because it has been around for more than 30 years, called for an end to discrimination, saying despite aggressive educational campaigns, people were still nonchalant about Aids.She said T&T still had functional and existing family structures as well as dedicated faith-based organisations, so there was hope.
She said resources must be directed at "hot spot" areas which were vulnerable to Aids infections. She added that in 2009, a total of 260,000 people were living with HIV in the region, while 18,000 new infections were recorded over that year. Garcia also revealed that 12,000 people died from Aids-related diseases in 2009.
Meanwhile, HIV/Aids co-ordinating committee spokesman Dr Ayanna Sebro said there were still HIV positive mothers who were not taking their antiretroviral medication to protect their babies from the disease.She said between January and August 2010, a total of 1,403 patients came to the San Fernando General Hospital for HIV testing and 5.5 per cent of them tested positive.
She also said some who tested positive never returned for treatment and counselling.