The future of HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean

Nearly 1.7 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean region. In 2006 about 140,000 people were newly infected with HIV while 60,000 people died of AIDS. UNAIDS estimates from 2006 indicate that HIV prevalence is highest in the smaller countries of Central America: just under 1% in El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama, 1.5% in Honduras and 2.5% in Belize in 2005.

The Caribbean is particularly hard-hit with the highest prevalence rate in adults outside of Sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 250,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean including 27,000 people who were newly infected in 2006. AIDS is now one of the leading cause of death among adults aged 15-44 years in the Caribbean. In 2005, the Caribbean was the only region in the World where the overall number of people living with HIV has not continued to increase.

What is driving the epidemic in LAC countries? The HIV virus is transmitted predominantly through unsafe sex and injecting drug use.
• Social factors: poverty and unequal gender relationships
• Political and economic instability lead to migration and mobility of people resulting in separation of families and new relationships which facilitate transmission of the virus.
• Stigma and discrimination are directed at people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Lack of implementation capacity undermines the effectiveness of programs designed to prevent HIV infection or provide treatment to those living with AIDS.