While the prevalence of HIV in adults increased marginally, from 1.1% in 2001 to 1.3% in 2012, the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) believes that it is because infected persons are living longer lives.
“The rise in the prevalence is a good indication… the 1.3% shows us that and is really an indication that people with HIV are not dying,” Programme Manager of NAPS Dr Shanti Singh yesterday told a stakeholder dissemination meeting at the Cara Lodge, in Georgetown, where the HIV estimates for 2012 were presented.
“If you started out with 1,000 people in your treatment programme today and then you calculate the prevalence hold that number … tomorrow your number of HIV persons may go up to 1,200. That means two things—either, one, 200 new infections came in or two, 250 came but 50 people died,” Singh said, while explaining how the calculations are made.
“What will happen over time is that your prevalence will go up because you have new
