Carrington said the update also indicates that the rate of infection is increasing among women and that other at-risk groups continue to be men who have sex with men as well as commercial sex workers.
He said that the call for more research into the role of bi-sexuality in the transmission of HIV and the reduction of stigma and discrimination cannot be overemphasized and it is for this reason that the recent establishment of the PANCAP Stigma and Discrimination Unit as part of the regional response to research and policy, is an important first step which must be complemented by the work of the region’s universities and other policy centres.
As the Caribbean joined forces with the rest of the world in celebrating the 21st World AIDS Day yesterday, he said Caricom has made a commitment to placing human rights and universal access to prevention, care and treatment at the centre of its response.
According to a release from the Caricom Secretariat, Carrington said that this year’s theme ‘Human Rights and Universal Access’ could not be more timely as it takes stock of progress which has been made as a community in accelerating its response to the disease and contemplates the challenges ahead.
He said that even as consideration is given to the merit of a Caribbean Public Health Agency, which was approved by the Heads of Government, and the prospects of shared or pooled public health services, those concerned must give due recognition to the implications of the current world economic crisis on Caribbean economies and the likely effects this may have on public health services.
In these circumstances, the release noted, Carrington said the fight against HIV calls for strengthening of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) and consolidating the integral linkages between the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework that guides the activities of PANCAP and the various national programmes. These circumstances, he noted, demand continued support from Caricom’s developing partners.
Carrington said the establishment of PANCAP attests to continued political leadership in the Caribbean in responding to the epidemic. However, he said there is much more to be done and Caricom continues to support institutional strengthening and emphasise the fundamental rights of persons living with the disease.
He said Caricom will continue to highlight HIV and AIDS in its work programmes of health, education, youth and culture and advocate for behaviour change in acknowledgement of its response to the epidemic which must be a multi-sectoral one. He also called for the strengthening of the role of the community of persons with HIV and AIDS in the decision making process and for more emphasis to be placed on the role of strategic information and communication in the overall objective, which he noted, is to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS.
