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| Copyright 2014 by News Americas Kingston, Jamaica |
Stigma and discrimination, particularly in relation to the most-vulnerable populations, prevents them from accessing relevant health information and services. The Jamaican Government has initiated a number of health promotion initiatives to combat stigma and discrimination of persons living with HIV.
The Jamaican National HIV response, which is a body in the Ministry of Health consists of more than 100 stakeholders from the government of Jamaica, government ministries, non-governmental organizations, private sector groups and international development partners. According to the Ministry of Health Jamaica (2010), these stakeholders have identified four priority areas (prevention, treatment care and support, enabling environment and empowerment and governance) which are part of the National Strategic Plan for Jamaica to reduce the incidences of HIV in the country.
HIV prevention efforts in Jamaica have been extremely robust over the past several years largely due to resources from the Global Fund, which finances over 90% of the national response. With the impending reduction in Global Fund resources due to Jamaica’s middle income classification, there are aggressive attempts by the government to ensure sustainability of the program (United Nations Population Fund, 2014).
Written by J. Fallah
Caribbean Regional Office (CDC.GOV)
References
Ministry of Health Jamaica. (2014).HIV epidemiological profile 2013: Facts and figures. Retrieved from http://www.nhpjamaica.org/final-epi-update-2013-revised
United Nations Population Fund. (2014).The Caribbean: Jamaica. Retrieved from http://caribbean.unfpa.org/public/Home/Countries/Jamaica
Ministry of Health Jamaica. (2010).Jamaica National HIV/STI Programme [PDF].Retrieved from www.nhpjamaica.org/.../UNGASS_COUNTRY_PROGRESS pdf
Your health initiative is one of dire importance. HIV/AIDS used to be a subject that was prominently featured in the news each day. The passage of time and the success of viable treatments have caused conversation to diminish to a point where it appears HIV/AIDS is no longer an issue.
ReplyDeleteThe Global Fund in Jamaica provides grants for solid programs that approach the HIV/AIDS epidemic in a multifaceted manner. According the Jamaica National HIV/STI Control Programme (2014), the provision of retroviral drugs, promotion of safe sex practices and development of policy are just a few ways of building opposition to this disease.
Still, even with such an aggressive stance, one may wonder about the increasing rates of infection in countries like Jamaica. The extent of condom use likely contributes to the problem. Figueroa et al., (2003) found that 76% of men and 60% of women attested to using a condom in their last encounter with a new partner (p.32). Engagement with regular partners produced lower results in that 45% men and 39% women reported condom use (Figueroa et al., 2003, p. 31). Compounding lack of condom use, 45% of men and 13% of women reported having more than one partner within the last year (Figueroa et al., 2003, p. 28).
While we may very well find similar behavior in communities around the world, these statistics refer to a high risk demographic in St. James Parish, Jamaica, where the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is over twice that of the national average (Figueroa et al., 2003). The statistics for condom use should be closer to 100%. Unfortunately, the message that /HIVAIDS is incurable and of vital concern is not well received across all demographics.
What more can we do to emphasize the increased need for condom use especially when the relationship is not monogamous? Schools provide a perfect setting for health education, but do you think more public awareness campaigns or a greater presence of this issue on social media might be helpful?
Figueroa, P., Alexander, J., Hileman, S., Brewer, C., Dale, D., Sadler,T., Dixon, J., Wheatle, M., Weir, S., (2003). PLACE: Priorities for local AIDS control efforts. Retrieved from http://gametlibrary.worldbank.org/FILES/637_PLACE%20in%20Jamaica%20%28St.%20James%29.pdf
The Jamaica National HIV/STI Control Programme. (2014). Global fund Jamaica. Retrieved from http://www.jamaica-nap.org/global_fund_jamaica.html